Hand Delivered Letter
by the dork knight
Summary: Instead of sending his Hogwarts acceptance letter by owl, McGonagall decides to personally deliver to Harry, which sets of a chain of events that changes many aspects of the life of the Boy-Who-Lived.
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter. I don't.**

**Hand Delivered Letter**

**Chapter One – You're a Wizard**

Minerva McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Transfiguration teacher, and head of Gryffindor house, sat at her desk as she began her pre school year work. Namely, sending out letters to all of the first year students and making note of which ones were muggleborn since she would need to hand deliver those letters and explain to the children and their parents about the magical world, as well as show them how to get to places like Diagon Alley and Platform 9 ¾.

She was basically working on automatic, having done the job for so many years now, that she nearly missed a very important name.

Harry Potter.

Seeing his name on the list of students to begin that year brought up a well of emotions she had not felt for nearly ten years, and she could not help but think back to that night when she, Dumbledore, and Hagrid had left the recently orphaned Harry on the doorstep of his only living relatives. This also brought back memories of her spending the day watching that family while disguised in her cat animagus form and remembered how awful they had seemed. She had promised herself that she would check in on Harry on a regular basis, just to ensure he was adjusting well in his new home and after the death of his parents.

Unfortunately, her responsibilities at Hogwarts had prevented her from doing as she wished and so she sated her curiosity about Harry by asking Albus how things were, knowing that he had placed a friend of his within the neighborhood in order to keep an eye on young Harry.

Checking her schedule, McGonagall found that she had a few extra hours during her time allotted for meeting with the new muggleborn students and their families, and so she decided that she would kill two fwooper's with one stone and personally deliver Harry his Hogwarts letter and see just how he was doing for herself.

OoOoOoOoOoO

It was just a little over two weeks later when McGonagall had finished visiting the muggleborn students, her last one a young witch named Hermione Granger, who had spent nearly the entire time asking as many questions as she could think of. It was only during the tour she gave the Granger's of Diagon Alley and when Hermione came across the bookstore did her questions cease, though only because she started grabbing almost every book that she could.

As McGonagall had watched Hermione attempt to talk her parents into buying the very large pile of books she had selected, she could tell that the young girl was obvious Ravenclaw material.

Double checking to make sure she had Harry's letter, McGonagall walked up the path towards the front door of Number Four, Privet Drive, passing the mailman as she went.

Within seconds after McGonagall knocked on the door, she heard someone shout from inside, "Don't just stand around there boy, answer the door."

This gave McGonagall a moments pause as the tone of voice didn't sound like a request, but more like the way most pureblood wizards sound when ordering their house elf to do something.

When the door opened, McGonagall almost staggered back as for a moment she could have sworn she was looking at James Potter when he first came to Hogwarts all those years ago. She quickly regained her composure and looked Harry over. He was almost the spitting image of James, only a little skinnier than he had been and Harry also had the same shocking green colored eyes that his mother Lily had. She knew that if he grew up to be just as handsome as James had been, along with those eyes, he could possibly be even more of a ladies man than the traitor, Sirius Black, had been during his time at Hogwarts.

"Hello?" asked Harry.

"Harry?" asked McGonagall.

"Yes," said Harry, sounding a little surprised that this woman knew who he was.

"My name is Minerva McGonagall," she said. "You may not know me, but I was friends with your parents."

"My… My parents?" asked Harry.

"Yes," said McGonagall. "They were students of mine at Hogwarts. I'm sure your aunt and uncle told you about Hogwarts."

"I'm sorry," said Harry. "But I have never heard of such a place."

"Never?" asked a surprised McGonagall. "But… Then how did they explain everything to you?"

"I'm afraid I don't understand what you mean," said Harry. "All I know about my parents is that my dad was a no good drunk and my mum was a whore and that they died in a car wreck. It's how I got my scar."

Harry lifted up his bangs to show the lightning bolt shaped scar that was famously known in the wizarding world.

"Drunk?" asked McGonagall, feeling her anger starting to rise. "Whore? Car wreck?"

"Boy, who is at the door?" came a female voice from down the hall. "If they're selling something, send them off."

Petunia came into view and gasped when she laid eyes on McGonagall, who she still remembered from all those years ago when the woman had come to her parents' house with the news that her freak sister was a witch.

"VERNON!" Petunia shouted, the fear in her voice quite evident.

Vernon Dursley came waddling out of the kitchen with a sandwich as big as his head in his hand.

"What is it?" he asked.

"You two have a lot of explaining to do," McGonagall said as she stepped into the house.

"Madam, I do not know who you are, but you cannot just barge into…" Vernon started to say, but went very quiet and still when McGonagall pulled her wand out of her robes.

"I suggest we all sit down and you can explain to me why it is that you not only kept the truth from Harry all these years, but told him such horrible lies about his parents," McGonagall said.

Both Vernon and Petunia felt like small children being scorned by the teacher with the way McGonagall was speaking to them, and they slowly made their way into the sitting room and sat down.

Harry followed them, but remained standing in the doorway, watching the odd site play out before him.

"Now," McGonagall said. "Who would like to go first?"

"We swore when we took him in, we would put an end to the freakishness he had in him," Vernon said, starting to feel a little confident.

"Freakishness?" asked McGonagall, sounding a little surprised.

"It's unnatural," Vernon said. "I wont have it in my house."

"What did you do to him?" McGonagall asked, afraid of what her suspicions were starting to tell her.

"Nothing he didn't deserve," Vernon said.

McGonagall looked at Petunia, who was shrinking in her set, hoping to not be noticed. She knew what the woman could do if she so desired, and was afraid that if her husband didn't keep quiet, the woman would use her wand on them in some way.

"Harry?" McGonagall said, turning to look at the young boy. "Could you come here please?"

Harry slowly made his way over to the strange woman.

"Tell me Harry, did they ever hit you?" she asked, trying to sound as calm and caring as she could, even though right now she was feeling quite angry. Not only at the Dursley's, but also at Dumbledore, who she had warned him all those years ago that it was a bad idea to leave him there.

Harry looked over at his uncle, who was glaring daggers at the boy, trying to convey that if he said anything, he would pay for it later. Harry didn't know what this woman could do to help him, or even if she could, so he just lowered his head and remained silent.

However, after years of dealing with all sorts of students, McGonagall was able to read Harry's actions and the truth he was ashamed to admit. Unfortunately, she also knew that if she tried to force him to talk about it, he would just retreat further into himself, shielding himself from her and any chance she had of helping him. She needed to gain his trust first.

So instead, she reached into her robes and pulled out a thick yellow envelope with emerald green writing on it.

"Harry," she said. "The truth, that your aunt and uncle have kept from you all these years, is that you are a wizard."

"A what?" asked Harry, looking up at her in surprise.

"A wizard," repeated McGonagall. "Your father, James, was a wizard as well, and your mother was a witch. One of the most brilliant witches I have ever had the good fortune of teaching in all my years at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Everything your aunt and uncle told you about your parents was a lie. Including the way they died."

"ENOUGH!" shouted Vernon as she stood up. "I will not allow that boy to be an even bigger freak than he already is. He will be going to Stonewall High like a normal person and as soon as he's eighteen, he's out the door to let life deal with him as it pleases."

McGonagall didn't say a word. This was exactly the reaction she had been hoping for, and so she flicked her wand, which caused the table between the couch and chairs to transform into a very large lion that roared at Vernon, who squealed like a small girl before jumping over the back of the couch and hiding.

For the first time that he could ever remember, Harry laughed.

"That was amazing," Harry said. "Can I do that?"

"Maybe," said McGonagall. "After, of course, you are properly educated in Transfiguration, which is what I teach… Now Harry… I know this must be difficult for you. But please… Are things as bad as they seem here?"

Harry lowered his head again, but this time instead of remaining silent, he nodded his head a bit.

"How bad?" she asked.

"They… They hit me," Harry quietly said. "When things happen that I can't explain or even know why they happened, they get mad at me. They call me a freak and hit me before locking me in my cupboard."

"You're cupboard?" asked McGonagall.

Harry nodded again and pointed at a small door built into the side of the stairs that had a lock on it.

McGonagall stood up and made her way to the door, which she opened and looked at the small, confined space. She was shocked at what she was seeing. On the floor was a small pile of ratty blankets, including, she noticed, the very same one Harry had been wrapped in when he was a baby and left on the Dursley's doorstep. She then noticed that the blankets were arranged in the shape of a bed, and where a pillow would be was a dirty looking mop. In the far corner she spotted a bucket, which upon closer inspection, discovered it had been used as a toilet. A quick wave of her wand vanished the contents of the bucket and another wave removed the smell.

She had seen enough, and just as she was about to close the door, something caught her eye. Any doubt someone would have about Harry telling the truth would have vanished when they saw that carved into the wall were the words 'Harry's Room'. She traced her fingers along it and guessed that the young boy had done this in some attempt to make this hellish place feel like home.

McGonagall returned to her seat and looked at Petunia, who was sitting stock still, and Vernon, who was peeking over the back of the couch, afraid to move with the lion still sitting there and looking at the large man as its next meal while licking its lips.

"I cannot even begin to explain how upset I am at this moment," McGonagall said, sounding quite calm despite the rage boiling inside of her. It was only because of Harry's presence that she didn't outright curse the two muggles. "You were asked to look after this child after his parents were murdered, and instead you treated him like most purebloods treat their house elves. If it had been you two that died and your son left with Lily, she would have raised him as though he were her own… How _you_ could be related to her, I have no idea."

Petunia flinched back slightly at hearing that, knowing that what the woman had said was true.

"It isn't like we were asked," Vernon said from his place behind the couch. "You lot just dumped that fre…" The lion started to snarl. "That boy on our doorstep without so much as a how-do-you-do or by-your-leave. We never wanted him to begin with, and he should be grateful that we allowed him to live under our roof and gave him the food from our table."

"Believe me, if it had been my decision, I would not have allowed him to be placed here all those years ago," said McGonagall. "And now I can see that I had been quite right… Harry." She turned to look at the young boy standing nearby. "As much as I know that this… Place is not good for you, I cannot just take you away from here."

Harry looked down, feeling the bit of hope that he was about to be rescued from the nightmare of his life vanish with those words.

"That is, unless you ask me to help you," said McGonagall.

Harry lifted his head and looked at her so quickly, she was afraid he would give himself whiplash.

"Do you mean it?" Harry asked.

"I do," said McGonagall.

"Please," said Harry. "Take me away from here. I… I've never felt like this was home to me."

Unbeknownst to those in the room, that statement caused the wards around the home to suddenly come crashing down. The only indication of it happening was the sudden stop of nearly a dozen silver instruments sitting on a table in an office inside a castle far to the North.

A small smile crept onto McGonagall's face, before she schooled her features into a neutral expression.

"Very well," she said. "Please, gather whatever belongings you wish to take with you."

Harry smiled a huge smile as he ran to his cupboard and started to grab the few changes of clothes that he had as well as the small blanket he had been wrapped in when he was a baby. He then reached up and pulled away a loose board to reveal a small hiding place, in which he kept a book that he found. He had kept it hidden, knowing that if the Dursley's ever knew he had it, they would take it from him.

McGonagall used her wand to change a nearby vase into a small suitcase for Harry to place his belongings into. When she saw Harry place the book into the suitcase, she couldn't help but smile as she read the title.

The Hobbit.

"Is that everything?" McGonagall asked as Harry closed the suitcase and picked it up.

"Yes ma'am," Harry said.

McGonagall nodded and then looked at the Dursley's. "I cannot say it has been a pleasure," she said before turning and starting towards the door.

"Hey," said Vernon. "What about… That?"

She turned to see him pointing at the lion.

"No transfiguration is permanent," said McGonagall. "Mr. Whiskers should return back to your table in a few hours."

"A few hours?" asked Petunia. "What are we supposed to do with a huge lion till then?"

"I would suggest that you avoid any sudden movements," McGonagall said before turning and leaving with Harry following behind her.

As soon as the door closed behind them, McGonagall let out a deep breath and said, "I apologize for my behavior in there. Normally I do not use magic to punish anyone. Especially students," she added, just to make sure that he wouldn't begin to worry that when he started Hogwarts that he wouldn't find himself facing a lion or something.

"I… I think I understand," said Harry, who glanced back at the house as they walked down the street. "They'll be okay, won't they? That lion won't eat them?"

McGonagall was a little surprised by Harry's worry over the welfare of the Dursley's. After the life he had led growing up there, she had more expected that he wouldn't care. The fact that despite what they did, that he still didn't want to see them hurt spoke volumes about the type of person he was.

"No," she said. "While it might look and sound like a real lion, it is still just a table. In fact, if they were to get up and run, all it would do is stand there and roar at them. When I cast the spell, I made it to gain their attention, not to harm them."

"Amazing," said Harry, a hint of wonder in his voice. "Is that all magic can do? Change things into other things?"

"Not at all," said McGonagall. "Magic can do almost anything. Transfiguration is just one aspect of magic. One of many that you will learn at Hogwarts."

Harry stopped and suddenly looked said.

"What is it?" McGonagall asked, kneeling down so she could look into his eyes.

"I don't think I can go," Harry said.

"Why not?" asked McGonagall, quite surprised by his statement.

"I… I don't have any money," said Harry, who then pulled out his Hogwarts letter, which he had secretly looked at while McGonagall and the Dursley's were talking. "I won't be able to afford any of these things on the list."

McGonagall smiled gently at Harry and said, "That will not be a problem."

"It won't?" asked a slightly confused Harry.

"No," said McGonagall. "From what I understand, your parents left you quite enough money to last your seven years at Hogwarts. I am not sure of the exact amount, however I do know that your tuition has already been paid for in advance, so whatever is inside your vault will be for your supplies and perhaps a little left over in order to be able to buy yourself a few little extras now and then."

Harry stood there with his mouth hanging open.

"Close your mouth Mr Potter, unless you desire to capture flies," McGonagall said, slipping back into her usual professor mode.

Harry closed his mouth, yet still stood there in shock.

"I'm sorry," he said. "Did you say vault?"

"Of course I did," said McGonagall. "Where else would you keep your money?"

"In a bank," said Harry.

"That is where the vault is," said McGonagall, who then remembered that Harry had no idea about anything regarding the wizarding world. "My apologies. I forgot that your relatives have kept you ignorant of the magical world. There is much that you need to know, so if I might suggest, I can tell you about it while a healer I know looks you over."

"Healer?" asked Harry. "Is that like a doctor?"

"Those butchers?" asked McGonagall. "Merlin, no. Healers do just as their name says. They heal without resorting to cutting people open or doing weird things to them."

"Wow," said Harry, who then started to grin. "Magic is so wicked."

"Indeed," said McGonagall. "Now, if you take my arm, we can apparate."

"Apparate?" asked Harry.

"Magical transportation," answered McGonagall.

Harry took a hold of McGonagall's arm with his free hand, and suddenly felt like he was being sucked through a very narrow hose. Before he had a chance to even attempt to get used to the sensation, the two of them were suddenly standing in the corner of a dark and slightly old looking tavern.

"Hello Minerva," a bald, toothless man said from behind the bar. "The usual gillywater for you, or is it business today?"

"Business, Tom," McGonagall said as she led Harry over to a very large fireplace.

"We'll start with your first lesson here," said McGonagall as she grabbed a small clay pot next to the fireplace. "Floo travel. This is one of the more common ways witches and wizards get around. What you do is take a pinch of floo powder, toss it into the fire like so."

McGonagall tossed the chalky black powder into the fire, causing it to flare up and turn green.

"Then you step in and say your desired destination," McGonagall continued. "It is very important to speak very clearly, otherwise you could end up hundreds of miles away from where you wanted to be. Understand?"

Harry nodded his head.

"Good," said McGonagall. "Then go ahead and step into the flames. Don't worry, while they are green, they cannot harm you in any way."

Harry slowly and hesitantly stepped into the middle of the green flames and felt a gentle warmth surround him.

"Now, our destination is a place called the Three Broomsticks, so call it out," she said. "And it is best to probably close your eyes. The trip can be a little disorientating for most people."

Harry nodded and said, "Three Broomsticks."

Just as he closed his eyes, it felt like the floor had given out underneath him and that he had been sucked up into the Earth. He could feel a very powerful gust of wind rushing past him as he spun around and around before it all came to a sudden stop and he fell onto a hard wood floor.

"Oof," Harry grunted as he landed, most of the wind knocked out of his lungs.

"'Ere, let me help you up," someone said.

Harry suddenly felt a pair of very large hands grab him and yank him up from the floor before setting him back down on his feet. He then looked up at the giant of a man wearing a large coat that looked to have been made out of moleskin. He had a very bushy beard and large beetle black eyes.

"Blimey," the man said. "You look just like James."

Just then, McGonagall stepped casually out of the fire.

"Ah, Hagrid," she said. "What a surprise to see you here."

"Just came down fer a quick drink and to say 'ello to everyone," said the large man.

"Well, it's good that you're here," said McGonagall. "You remember this young man, don't you?"

"He looks just like James," Hagrid said. "But it can't be. James… Well, you know."

Hagrid pulled out what looked like a small spotted blanket and wiped the tears now leaking from the corners of his eyes. McGonagall patted Hagrid on one of his very large arms, knowing that any mention of what happened to James and Lily caused him some sadness.

"Hagrid," she said after he blew his nose and tucked his hanky back into his pocket. "This is James and Lily's son. Harry."

"HARRY?" Hagrid almost shouted, drawing the attention of the few people in the tavern. "Blimey, I haven't seen you since you was just a baby. You sure have grown since then."

"Um, hello," Harry said.

"I remember the last time I saw you," Hagrid said. "Sleeping so peaceful as we flew on a motorcycle over Bristol as I took you to Dumbledore."

"A flying motorcycle?" Harry asked, remembering a dream he had had about a month ago. "I… I thought that was just a dream."

"You remember it?" asked McGonagall, a little surprised.

"Not really," said Harry. "I just sort of had a dream where I was sitting on a flying motorbike."

"Interesting," said McGonagall, who was now wondering if his subconscious could remember that night, did it also remember when You-Know-Who had tried to kill him.

"Anyways, I need to take Harry up to see Poppy," McGonagall said.

"Poppy?" asked Hagrid. "Is everything alright?"

McGonagall looked around, noticing everyone listening in, before she leaned in close to Hagrid, who leaned down, and whispered, "We can discuss everything later with the Headmaster."

Hagrid looked around and noticed everyone before nodding as he stood up.

"Right then," Hagrid said, a little loudly than normal. "Everything's perfectly fine. Nope, nothing wrong at all."

McGonagall closed her eyes and sighed as she thought that Hagrid was about as subtle as a dragon in the Great Hall.

As Hagrid made his way over to the bar and ordered his usual, McGonagall and Harry left while everyone started whispering to each other.

"Miss McGonagall?" Harry asked.

"Professor McGonagall," she corrected him.

"Professor," Harry said. "That Hagrid person. He was… Kind of big."

"He is," she said. "You see, Hagrid is a half-giant. His father was a wizard and his mother was a full blooded giantess. Though, please do not ask me how their union was possible, as it defies all logic." McGonagall then cleared her throat, realizing what she had just said to a young boy that was almost eleven years old. She glanced down at him and saw the look on confusion on his face, indicating that he didn't understand what she had meant, and mentally sighed in relief. "Anyways," she continued, "his parentage doesn't really matter. You probably will never find a kinder, more gentle person than Hagrid… Though, just be careful if he asks to show you any of his pets. He has a tenacity for thinking that some dangerous creatures are cute and cuddly."

Harry couldn't help but laugh at that, and then he suddenly gasped as he saw one of the most amazing sights he had ever seen.

McGonagall smiled at the look of awe and wonder on Harry's face. She never got to see the looks on any of the first year students faces when they got their first glimpse of Hogwarts. It was no wonder that Hagrid eagerly looked forward to the first of September each year.

"Welcome," she said as she started to lead the way up a long road leading to the castle, "to Hogwarts."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two – A New Home and a Shopping Trip**

There isn't a lot that scares Albus Dumbledore. The most beloved wizard of the light since Merlin himself. The man who fought and defeated the great Gellert Grindelwald. The man who stood up and led the charge against Lord Voldemort. The man who helped discover twelve different uses for dragons blood. The only known person to have a phoenix as his familiar. Prefect. Head Boy. Winner of the Order of Merlin: First class. Grand sorcerer. Supreme Mugwump. Chief Warlock. And to some, even a crack pot old fool. To say that the man had accomplished a lot in his one hundred and twenty years of life would be an understatement.

However, as he sat behind his desk in his office at Hogwarts, under the withering gazes from both Minerva McGonagall and the schools resident healer, Poppy Pomfrey, he silently wished to be anywhere but there at the moment. Even in the middle of a Dragon nest would have been more preferable.

"I told you Albus," McGonagall said. "I told you that night before you just left him there that they were the worst sort of muggles. Now look what happened?"

"I counted over a dozen broken bones that never healed properly," said Madam Pomfrey. "He is borderline malnourished. And I don't even want to begin to guess what long lasting psychological trauma he will probably have to deal with for the rest of his life because of the environment he grew up in."

"They were the only family he had left," Dumbledore said, trying to sound calm despite the fact that jumping out the window and hoping for the best sounded quite appealing at the moment. "When Lily scarified herself, she left certain protections around Harry that would only remain if he stayed with a blood relative. You both know as well as I do that Tom's followers were still out there at the time. By placing him with the Dursley's, we vary well probably saved his life."

"At the expense of his childhood," said McGonagall. "You didn't see the hole in the wall called a cupboard they kept him in. I've seen mistreated house elves that had better living accommodations than that."

Dumbledore sighed as he took off his half-moon spectacles and rubbed the bridge of his nose before replacing them.

"Very well," he said, reaching for a lemon drop from the dish on his desk. "I will go and have a word with the Dursley's about their treatment of Harry and ensure that things are better for him when he returns."

"OVER MY DEAD BODY!" McGonagall shouted.

"OVER MY DEAD BODY!" shouted Madam Pomfrey. "If I have any say about it, he will never be within a hundred miles of those people."

"It is his home," said Dumbledore.

"Mr. Potter doesn't think of as home," said McGonagall.

All of the color suddenly drained from Dumbledore's face and he nearly choked on the sweet and tart candy he had been sucking on. He then quickly jumped out of his seat and rushed over to the table that held various silver instruments, finding that none of them were working.

"Minerva," he said, turning to his deputy Headmistress. "This is very important. What exactly did Harry say about living with the Dursley's?"

"He said that it never felt like home to him," McGonagall said. "And honestly, can you blame him after the way they treated him."

Dumbledore slowly made his way back to his desk, his shoulders slightly slumped in defeat.

"No," he said as he sat down. "No, I guess I cannot. Very well, I guess I have no choice but to find new living arrangements for Harry."

"Albus?" McGonagall said, a slight warning to her tone.

"It will be a suitable home for him where he will be well cared for," said Dumbledore.

OoOoOoOoOoO

Meanwhile, Harry was sitting on one of the beds in the hospital wing of Hogwarts as he listened to Hagrid, who was telling Harry everything he knew about dragons.

"I still don't believe it," Harry said. "Dragons are real?"

"Very real," said Hagrid. "In fact, sometime dragons are responsible for accidents that happen."

"Like what?" asked Harry.

"You ever 'eard of a ship called the Titanic?" asked Hagrid and Harry nodded yes. "Well, it wasn' no chunk of ice that caused the ship to sink. See, there was a group of smugglers on the ship, and they was taking a whole crate full of stolen dragon eggs to states, and it was the mummy dragon that tracked the ship down and clawed and bit its way through the side of the ship trying to get 'er babies back."

"But what about all of the people that said it was an iceberg?" asked Harry.

"Obliviated," said Hagrid. "Took o'er a week with people from both the Ministry of Magic here as well as the Magical Government in the states to make sure no one remembered what really happened. But you'll learn all 'bout that in your History o' Magic class."

"Wow," said Harry. "I had no idea."

"Tha's the point," said Hagrid. "If muggles knew 'bout the magical world, they'd be wantin' miracle cures and help doin' everything."

As Harry and Hagrid continued talking with Hagrid telling Harry everything he knew about dragons and how much he wanted one, McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey entered the hospital wing and watched the two of them interact.

"It's surprising," said Madam Pomfrey.

"What is?" asked McGonagall.

"The way Harry acts," said Madam Pomfrey. "Normally when a child grows up the way Harry did, they act very closed off to other people. And yet he's acting just like any other kid."

"He was a little closed off when I first arrived at his relatives house," McGonagall said. "However, once he saw me use magic to sort of defend him from his uncle, he opened up and told me what I needed to know. It was like…"

"Like magic?" asked Madam Pomfrey and McGonagall nodded. "Harry's a special boy. I mean, aside from surviving a curse that no one has ever survived before. I didn't want to say anything in front of Albus about this, mostly because I am quite livid with him right now, but when I ran that series of diagnostic spells on Harry, I also took a peek at his magical core."

"And?" asked McGonagall, a little worried that something might be wrong.

Sensing her worry, Madam Pomfrey said, "It's quite healthy. One of the healthiest I have ever seen. But, no. The thing I discovered is that his core is far more developed than it should be for a child his age."

"What do you mean?" asked McGonagall.

"Harry's magical core is more on par with that of a sixth year student," said Madam Pomfrey. "I don't know if his magical core was powerful to begin with since he was born, if it's a side effect of his surviving the curse, or that it was forced to strengthen itself in order to help him survive living with those animals. It could even be a combination of those reasons. All I can tell you is that by the time Harry finishes his seventh year, he could very well be more powerful than Albus ever was."

"Merlin's beard," McGonagall said, surprised by the news. That surprise quickly turned to curiosity as she wondered just what they could expect from Harry once he started to learn how to use his magic.

Both Hagrid and Harry started laughing at something Hagrid had just said, and Madam Pomfrey took the moment to walk over to the two.

"How are we feeling?" the school healer asked.

"Okay," said Harry. "Hagrid was just telling me about dragons."

"Yes, well…" Madam Pomfrey started to say. "Anyways, Mr. Potter, I have some potions that I need you to take."

"Potions?" asked Harry.

"Yes," said Madam Pomfrey. "Nothing much. Just a few things to help heal you properly."

"Oh… okay," said Harry as Madam Pomfrey went to her office and returned a moment later carrying two small glass bottles.

"This one," she said, holding up one of the bottles, "is to fix the micro fractures in your bones."

"It won't hurt, will it?" asked Harry as he took the bottle. "Fixing my bones?"

"Not at all," said Madam Pomfrey. "This potion just aids your magic in sealing the fractures, since they are small enough. If they were bigger, then I would need to either use a bone knitting spell or vanish the bones completely and give you a dose of Skelegrow, and that option would be a little uncomfortable."

Harry wasn't sure if the woman was joking about vanishing his bones, but decided not to think too much about it as he drank the bottle of orange colored liquid.

"Egghh," Harry said, sticking out his tongue and making a face.

"Nasty tasting, I know," said Madam Pomfrey. "Now this one will help with the fact that you haven't been properly fed. I must warn you, it will speed up your metabolism, so you will find yourself being quite hungry for the next twelve hours or so. Do not fight the urges you will have to eat. If you do, it could lead to even worse problems for you."

Harry just nodded his head as he took the bottle and drank it. He shivered a little, as it tasted bad, though not as bad as the previous one.

"Now, that one should start to take effect in a little bit," said Madam Pomfrey, "so if Hagrid doesn't mind, why don't the two of you head down to the kitchens and see if the elves can whip up something to eat."

"Elves?" asked Harry.

"House elves," said Madam Pomfrey. "They work here in the castle, cooking and cleaning for everyone."

"Come on Harry," Hagrid said. "Lets go and see if Twidget is down there. He makes a very tasty toad in the hole."

OoOoOoOoOoO

Dumbledore apparated at his desired location just a little after eight o'clock at night, as agreed with the family he had contacted in regards to Harry coming to live with them.

The home was a quaint looking cottage style home at the end of a long, empty country road with obviously no neighbors within a few miles. If Harry decided to take up an interest in Quidditch and play for his house team, this location would give him plenty of space to fly around and practice without having worry about any muggles seeing him.

Dumbledore knocked on the front door, which opened a moment later and he was standing in front of a young witch with bubblegum pink hair.

"Headmaster?" said Nymphadora Tonks, quite surprised to see the aged wizard standing there. "What are you doing here? If this is about the case of Dungbombs that was set off in dungeons last year, I had nothing to do with it… Wait a minute. I just finished my seventh year, passed my N.E.W.T.'s and have already been accepted into the auror program. You can't do anything to punish me."

"And a good evening to you Nymphadora," Dumbledore said, seeing the young witch scowl at his use of her first name. "I actually came to speak with your parents about something other than… Your mischievous nature while attending Hogwarts."

"Oh," said Tonks, blushing a bit in embarrassment. "Come in then."

She stepped aside, allowing Dumbledore to walk in before she closed the door.

"MUM!" Tonks shouted. "DUMBLEDORE IS HERE!"

"No need to shout," Andromeda Tonks said as she walked out of the sitting room. "I'm not deaf you know."

"Sorry," said Tonks. "Anyways, I'm out."

"Where are you going?" asked her mother.

"Weird Sisters concert, remember?" said Tonks. "They're playing at Stonehenge tonight. My friends and I have had tickets since Christmas break."

"Very well," said Andromeda. "Don't stay out too late and please try and keep out of trouble."

"You know I can't promise that," Tonks said with a grin as she grabbed her leather jacket. "Bye."

Tonks left, and Andromeda turned to Dumbledore.

"Albus, so good to see you," she said. "Ted's in the other room."

The two of them walked into the sitting room, where a man was sitting in a slightly old, beat up looking chair while reading the Daily Prophet.

"Albus," the man said when he looked up. He set his paper aside and stood to shake the aged wizards hand.

"Theodore," Dumbledore said, shaking Ted's hand before they all sat down.

"So, what brings you here tonight?" asked Ted. "When you called on the floo, you said it was important."

"It is," said Dumbledore. "It involves finding a home for a certain child. You see, it has recently come to my attention that this boy had spent the past ten years living with some relatives of his, and they have not been very kind to him."

"Abused?" asked Andromeda.

"I am afraid so," said Dumbledore. "We found out about it this afternoon when Minerva went to visit this boy and bring him his Hogwarts letter."

"So, he's muggleborn then," said Ted.

"No," said Dumbledore. "He's not. Both of his parents were magical. You see, I left him with his relatives after his parents were murdered by Voldemort."

Both Andromeda and Ted winced upon hearing the name of the dark wizard.

"However, because of who this young boy is, Minerva felt it best to take him his letter personally," Dumbledore continued. "It was a good thing that she did, otherwise we might not have ever known what was happening to him."

"I think I understand why you are here," said Andromeda. "You would like us to take this boy in."

"I would," said Dumbledore. "In fact, had not certain events happened at the end of the last war, this boy would have been taken care of by a cousin of yours."

"Sirius?" asked Ted, his face darkening a bit as he thought about the man he had once been friends with, only to learn he had betrayed them all.

Andromeda gasped slightly after she had thought about it for a moment.

"Albus," she said. "You don't mean to tell me… No, it cannot be."

"What?" asked Ted. "Who is the boy?"

"Harry Potter," said Dumbledore.

The look of surprise on Ted's face was quite priceless.

"You mean to tell me that _the_ Harry Potter has grown up for the past ten years in an abusive home?" asked Ted, not quite believing what he was hearing.

"Unfortunately," said Dumbledore. "Had I known then, I would have found other living arrangements. Sadly, it is partially my own fault. With Vo… You-Know-Who gone, many of his more faithful followers were going crazy trying to find him."

"We remember," said Andromeda, thinking back what had happened to the Longbottom's.

"I was afraid for Harry's safety," Dumbledore said. "And by the way Lily had willingly given her life to protect Harry, I believe it created some kind of protection around Harry that allowed him to survive the killing curse. It was also tied to her blood, which meant that her sister, Harry's aunt, would allow that protection to continue, keeping him safe from any Death Eaters that came looking for him. So, I placed him with her and her family without properly checking to make sure it was the right place for him."

Dumbledore looked quite saddened by how much he had failed Harry in the way that he did.

"It's okay, Albus," Andromeda said. "We understand. Those were chaotic times. No one knew who they could trust. And even those that we did think we could trust turned against us. They were his family. You couldn't have known they would treat Harry the way they did. Even my family would never raise their hand in anger. Kick me out of the family for following my heart, yes. But never attack me."

Andromeda reached over and took her husbands hand in her own and gave it a gentle, loving squeeze. Not a day had gone by that she ever regreated turning her back on the Black family name in order to marry her muggleborn husband. She loved the man with all of her heart, and if her family couldn't handle it, then that was their problem. Not hers.

Dumbledore smiled to himself as he watched the two of them hold hands and share such a loving look. He knew he was making the right choice in asking them to take care of and raise Harry as their own.

"We'll do it," said Ted, turning back to look at Dumbledore. "We know it might be hard, given the problems he has had to grow up with, but Andy and I know that we can help Harry through it and show him how a real family is supposed to be."

"Splendid," said Dumbledore, who then stood up. "Poppy would like to keep him in her care for the night, just to make sure the potions she gave him work properly. Is there any specific time that I should bring him by tomorrow?"

"Any time is perfectly fine," said Andromeda. "Ted and I will get one of the spare rooms turned into a bedroom just for Harry. In fact…"

She looked at the clock on the wall.

"Shoot," she said. "Most of the shops will have closed already. Oh well, we can just take Harry shopping for some things after her gets here."

"A good idea," said Dumbledore. "Harry still needs to purchase his school supplies, as well as his wand, so you can take him to get those as well as anything else you desire to get him. Also, shortly before his parents went into hiding when they learned that You-Know-Who was after them, they had set up a trust vault for Harry.

Dumbledore reached into his robes and pulled out a small, bronze key, which he handed to Andromeda.

"His tuition is paid for in full for all seven years," Dumbledore said. "So that isn't anything you need to worry about. And the contents of the vault will more than cover his books, potion ingredients, his wand, and any other school related needs with some left over if Harry wishes to buy himself a little something now and then."

"Thank you Albus," said Ted. "I doubt he'll need to use it for anything other than school. Andy and I do fairly well in or jobs and make enough to be able to financially support Harry. However, it is good to know that the vault is there should it be needed."

After saying their goodbyes, Dumbledore apparated back to Hogwarts while Andromeda and Ted went up to the spare room next to their daughter's room and proceeded to clear away the boxes of junk they had lying around, and move them down into the basement.

"How do you think Dora is going to handle this?" asked Ted.

"She'll be fine," said Andromeda. "Remember when she was little and wanted a little brother?"

"I do," said Ted. "I also remember her being sad when we told her that we couldn't have another child."

"One of the drawbacks of giving birth to a metamorphmagus," Andromeda said a little sadly. "The magical strain of the birth is so much, it permanently damages the womb, preventing future conception."

The fact that the Tonks' could never have more than one child had always been a sad spot for them. Especially Ted, who had wanted a son. Not that he didn't love his daughter any less because she was a girl. He did, however, tend to treat her more like a boy than a girl when she was growing up because of it. But now, they both had the chance to raise a second child. A boy. And they were both determined to give him a lifetimes worth of love, caring, and understand in order to make up for the lack of it he had received living with those awful relatives of his.

OoOoOoOoOoO

When Harry woke up the following morning, he didn't want to open his eyes. He knew it had all been a dream. A great, wondrous dream where a witch had not only taken him away from the Dursley's, but told and showed him a bit of an entire world full of magic. He knew that at any moment, his aunt would come stomping down the stairs before she banged on his cupboard door to wake him up in order to make breakfast.

However, as Harry's mind started to acknowledge the waking world, he noticed that he wasn't sleeping on the hard floor of his cupboard with only a thin layer of blankets underneath him. He was lying on something soft and comfortable, much like he would believe sleeping on a cloud would be like.

Slowly, he opened his eyes and saw a blurry, unfamiliar large room before him. He reached over to his right, feeling around for his glasses before finding them and slipping them on.

A smile slowly crept onto his face as he discovered it hadn't been a dream at all. It had been, in fact, real. He really had been taken away from the Dursley's. Which meant that he really was, in fact, a wizard.

"Good morning Mr. Potter," Madam Pomfrey said as she walked out of her office and over to the bed he had slept in. "How are you feeling today?"

"Fine," said Harry as she pulled out her wand and waved it around his body, causing it to glow various colors.

"Good, good," she said. "It would seem that the potions worked exactly like they were supposed to."

"Do potions sometimes not work right?" asked Harry.

"Sometimes," admitted Madam Pomfrey. "You see Mr. Potter, potion making is a very delicate art, and the ingredients must be added in a specific order and in a specific way. You'd be surprised the number of things that could and have gone wrong. A fly could land in the potion while it is being made and instead of a blood replenishing potion, you end up with a vomit inducing potion instead."

"That doesn't sound good," said Harry.

"No, it doesn't," said Madam Pomfrey, and Harry made a mental note that he would make sure to pay very close attention to learning how to make potions so he didn't end up with some weird concoction that caused him to grow three extra arms or nine eyes on the back of his head.

Shortly after Madam Pomfrey finished checking Harry over and determining that he was much healthier than when he arrived, a house elf popped in with a tray.

"Breakfast," the little house elf squeaked, setting the tray down and pulling the dome off to reveal a large stack of pancakes, bacon, sausage, ham steaks, eggs, and a large pitcher of pumpkin juice, which Harry had tried for the first time the day before and found it to be quite tasty.

"Thank you," said Harry as he looked at the large amount of food before him. "It looks great."

The house elf just bowed in response before popping away, leaving Harry to dig in.

Harry barely managed to eat half of what had been made for him before he couldn't stomach eating another bite. Thankfully, Madam Pomfrey had told him that the potion he had taken for being underfed had already worn off and so he didn't have to force feed himself anymore.

As the house elf returned and took away the remaining food, the hospital wing doors opened and Harry looked over to see an old wizard walk in. The man reminded Harry very much of the wizard described in his book, especially with his long beard. However this wizard was wearing purple robes with bright yellow stars and moons on them.

"Hello Harry," he said as he walked over to the young boy that was sitting up in bed. "How are you doing this morning?"

"Good," said Harry.

"Allow me to introduce myself," the wizard said. "My name is Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore. I am the Headmaster here at Hogwarts."

Harry was a little surprised by all the strange names the man had. Though, one name stuck out of the bunch.

"Brian?" Harry asked and Dumbledore chuckled.

"My father's sense of humor," Dumbledore said. "Anyways, I came to not only see how you are doing, but also to talk to you about where you are going to live."

"I don't have to go back to the Dursley's do I?" Harry asked, a hint of fear in his voice, which Dumbledore didn't miss and made a mental note to pay a visit to them and express his displeasure.

"No Harry, you will not be going back there," Dumbledore said, taking note of how Harry seemed to relax a bit. "You see, I talked to a family last night that I know. Very nice people. They have a daughter that just finished her seventh year here and will shortly begin training to be an auror. That's the magical version of a police officer," Dumbledore added, seeing the look of confusion on Harry's face.

"So, they want to take me in?" asked Harry.

"They do," said Dumbledore. "If you agree, that is. I understand that you might be a little afraid after hearing some of the things I have heard about the home you came from. However, I give you my personal guarantee that these are very nice people and will never treat you the way that your relatives did."

"They won't hit me?" asked Harry.

"No," answered Dumbledore.

"Or blame me for everything that goes wrong?" asked Harry.

"No," answered Dumbledore.

"Or lock me in a cupboard and force me to use a bucket as a toilet?" asked Harry.

Dumbledore closed his eyes and tried to calm his rising anger. When Harry had asked those questions, he had gently used a bit of Legilimency to probe his surface thoughts and caught glimpses of the truth of Harry's life. He definitely would be paying a visit to the Dursley's within the next day or so.

"No Harry," Dumbledore said. "In fact, I received an owl from them just before I came to see you, telling me that they had your very own bedroom all set up and waiting for you. They are also planning on taking you shopping shortly after you arrive for not only your school supplies, but also some new clothes and a few other odds and ends."

Harry thought about it for a moment. The man in front of him seemed nice enough, as did everyone else he had met in this world of magic. And he did promise they would be nice to him. The only thing his relatives ever promised were extra beatings.

"Okay," Harry finally said after a few minutes of thinking. "If they are as nice as you say they are, then I would very much like to go and live with them."

"Splendid," Dumbledore said with a smile. "As soon as you get yourself dressed, Madam Pomfrey will walk you down to the entrance hall, where I shall be waiting for you."

Dumbledore left the hospital wing as Harry got out of bed and changed out of the pajamas that Madam Pomfrey had given him and into the oversized hand-me-down clothes that used to belong to his cousin before he grew too fat to even wear the XXXL sized clothing.

He only had to wait a few minutes before Madam Pomfrey returned from her office and escorted Harry through the castle to the entrance hall, where Dumbledore was waiting for him and he said goodbye to the school healer and thanked her for helping him.

"Tell me Harry," Dumbledore said as they left the castle and walked towards the castle gates. "Have you ever apparated before?"

"Yes sir," said Harry. "It felt a little weird."

Dumbledore chuckled and said, "That is does. Well, we shall be traveling by that method to the Tonks' home."

"Is that their name?" asked Harry.

"Yes," said Dumbledore. "Ted and Andromeda Tonks are their names. And their daughter is called Nymphadora, though for some reason, she is not particularly found of being called by her first name."

Dumbledore smiled at Harry and Harry noticed that he had a slight twinkle in his eye.

"Here we are," Dumbledore said as they passed the gates. "Now, if you'll just take a hold of my arm, we can go and meet your new family."

Harry took a deep breath before grabbing the aged wizards arm and felt the same compressing feeling he had felt the previous time. And like the last time, before he could process what was happening, they appeared just outside of a friendly looking cottage in the middle of the English countryside.

As Harry was taking in the beauty of his surroundings and marveling at just how different it was from Number Four, Privet Drive, Dumbledore walked up to the front door and knocked.

Both Ted and Andromeda answered the door and said their hellos to Dumbledore.

"And this is Harry," Dumbledore said as the young wizard shyly stepped forward.

"Hello," Harry quietly said, feeling a little nervous now that he was meeting these new people.

"Hello," said Ted.

"Hello Harry, it's a pleasure to meet you," said Andromeda.

The two of them stepped aside, allowing Harry and Dumbledore to walk in and the four of them headed into the sitting room and sat down.

"I guess we should introduce ourselves," said Andromeda. "My name is Andromeda Tonks, and this is my husband, Ted. And right now, our daughter Nymphadora is asleep in bed."

"Though, you should know that we normally just call her Dora," said Ted. "She's not particularly fond on her first name."

"It's nice to meet you," Harry said.

"We understand you had some… Uncomfortable times living with your relatives," said Andromeda and Harry sadly nodded his head. "Well, I can promise you that we will never treat you like that. Though, I will tell you that that doesn't mean you are free to act up and misbehave like an animal. We do have rules here that we expect you to follow."

"Okay," said Harry.

"It's nothing much," said Ted. "Just make sure you keep your room clean. Don't leave wet towels lying around the bathroom floor. Don't travel too far from the house, especially while on a broom. And then there are some things you can do around the house to help us out. Like help set the table for dinner."

"Um… I don't have a broom," Harry said, a little confused.

"No broom?" asked Ted, a slight smile on his face. This was one thing he was looking forward to, and had sort of set Harry up for it. "Well, we can't have that. When we go to Diagon Alley later today, we will most surely have to make a stop at Quality Quidditch Supplies and see what we can find you."

Andromeda rolled her eyes at this. Her husband had kept her up for over an hour the night before, talking about how much he was looking forward to teaching Harry how to fly a broom.

Dumbledore chuckled quietly to himself. He could remember when James was at Hogwarts and was on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. The young man had such a talent for flying it was uncanny. If Harry had inherited his fathers' abilities, he would definitely be a natural flying and an asset to the team of whichever house he was sorted in if he chose to play.

"Well," said Andromeda after a few more minutes of getting to know each other. "If we're going to get all of our shopping done today, I think it best if we head out."

"Right," agreed Ted, looking forward to spending the day with Harry and getting to know more about him.

"Then I guess this is where we part ways," Dumbledore said as they all stood up. "Harry, it was a pleasure to meet you, and I will see you on September the first."

"Okay," said Harry. "And thank you and Professor McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey for helping me. It… It means a lot to me to know that there really are people out there that care."

Dumbledore smiled and nodded as he patted Harry on the shoulder, fighting back a small tear he felt welling up in his eye.

After Dumbledore left, Harry, Andromeda, and Ted used the floo to travel to the Leaky Cauldron, which Harry recognized as the place he and McGonagall had stopped at briefly the day before. To Harry's surprise, they led him out through the back door to a small walled off area with no other way to go than the way they had come.

"Ready?" Ted asked Harry as he pulled out his wand.

Harry nodded his head slowly, confused as to what they were doing there, but suspected some kind of magic had to be involved. He was right, as he watched Ted tap a certain brick with his wand, causing a large opening to form as the bricks shuffled out of the way, revealing a long twisting street full of shops and people.

"Wow," Harry said breathlessly as Ted and Andromeda led him through the opening.

"Welcome to Diagon Alley," said Andromeda. "A one stop shopping district for most of magical Britain. The other place is Hogsmeade, which is right by Hogwarts."

"I remember there," said Harry. "Professor McGonagall and I traveled to a place called the Three Broomsticks to get to Hogwarts."

"You'll get to see it again and spend some time there in your third year at Hogwarts, since they allow third year students and older to visit the village on occasion," said Ted.

Ted and Andromeda walked Harry down through the street, pointing out the various shops and telling him which ones they would need to stop at to purchase his school supplies. They also made a point to show Harry were the entrance to Knockturn Alley was and to let him know that it was a vary dangerous place and to never go there as most of the people that visited there were the sort to dabble in the dark arts.

"Alright," said Andromeda. "I guess our first stop should be Gringotts to get some money out of Harry's vault."

The three of them headed towards a large white building with columns out front and two small men wearing full armor and holding spears.

"Goblins," said Ted, noticing that Harry was staring at the armed guards. "They run Gringotts. Vicious when angry and financial geniuses. Treat them with honor and respect and they could turn your investments into a fortune. Make them really mad at you and find yourself in financial ruin."

Harry nodded his head and decided that he would never purposefully make a goblin angry. Not only because of what Ted had told him, but also because those spears the two goblins carried looked very sharp.

Once inside, the three of them stood in line while Harry watched the goblins with a hint of wonder and fear. The two out front had their faces obscured by their armored helmets, so he couldn't get a look at what they looked like. Now he was seeing them for the first time and they looked a little like something out of a nightmare. However, unlike his books, these goblins were all wearing very expensive business suits that looked to have been tailored just for them. Some were counting out stacks of pounds and some were counting out stacks of coins that looked to be made from either gold, silver, or bronze. There were even some goblins that were weighing and inspecting jewels and diamonds.

"Next," one of the goblins called out and the three of them headed over to his window.

"Good day," Andromeda said. "We would like to make a withdrawal from a vault."

"Key?" the goblin asked in a bored voice and Andromeda handed a small key over to the goblin, who inspected it before shouting something out in a strange language Harry didn't recognize. A moment later, another goblin walked over to them. "Griphook, take these humans to vault 687."

The little goblin nodded and said, "Follow me."

They followed Griphook through a set of large, wooden double doors that led into what appeared to be a cave that housed a large mine cart. They all got in and Harry noticed that Andromeda held onto the handrail tightly as she closed her eyes.

"Why is she…" Harry started to ask, but his question was lost as the mine cart rocketed down the track. At first, Harry was a little afraid, wondering if this was normal. However, when he glanced over at Ted and saw the huge smile on his face, he relaxed a bit and started to enjoy the ride, which he figured had to be even more intense than any roller coaster at the amusement parks that Dursley's had taken Dudley too.

"Vault 687," Griphook said as the cart came to a stop.

They all climbed out and Harry noticed that Andromeda was a little wobbly.

"She doesn't like the cart rides," Ted said.

"Never have," said Andromeda. "Ever since I was little and one of my sisters tried to push me out as we went over a ravine."

"Key please," Griphook said, snapping Andromeda out of her thoughts of her sisters.

"Right, yes, the key," she said, pulling it out and handing it to the goblin, who placed it into the keyhole and unlocked the large metal door.

"Whoa," Harry said as the door opened, revealing large piles of the same gold, silver, and bronze coins he had seen some of the goblins counting in the bank.

Both Ted and Andromeda gasped in surprise when they saw the amount of money inside the vault.

"This must be the entire Potter fortune," Ted whispered to his wife.

"No," Griphook said, hearing what Ted had said thanks to his spectacular goblin hearing. "The main bulk of the Potter fortune is in the family vault, which will only be available to Mr. Potter once he reaches his age of majority. This is the trust vault that had been set up for Mr. Potter to use until then."

"All this for seven years?" Ted asked, a little surprised by it, as it all seemed too much. Then he started to think that perhaps this money had been meant to sustain Harry from the time his parents were killed till he turned seventeen. That made more sense when he tried to calculate the amount of money in the vault. Unfortunately for Harry, for reasons unknown, his relatives never bothered to use this money to help raise him. Then again, he thought, maybe it was for the best that they didn't. From what he had heard and from what he could guess on his own, they probably didn't know about the money at all. If they did, he was more than sure none of it would be here, and that they wouldn't have spent a single knut on Harry.

"Well," Andromeda said as she pulled out a small cloth bag. "I believe fifty galleons should suffice for shopping today."

Harry watched as she counted out fifty of the gold coins and dropped them into the small bag, which shouldn't have been able to hold all of those coins.

Seeing his questioning look, Andromeda said, "The bag is charmed to be larger on the inside. It also has a feather light charm on it so it does not weigh as much. See for yourself."

She then handed the bag to Harry, who expected it to be heavy, yet it only seemed to weigh about as much as one of his shoes.

"Wicked," Harry said with a grin. He then started to hand the bag back to Andromeda.

"No, no," she said. "That is your money, so it is your responsibility to hold on to it. Also, while we are shopping, we will be teaching you how to properly manage your money."

Griphook nodded in approval when he heard that. If there was one thing goblins respected, it was someone that knew how to properly handle finances.

After the return trip in the mine cart, the three of them left the bank and headed for their first destination. Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions.

"Hogwarts?" the old witch asked as they entered the shop.

"Yes," said Andromeda. "We also need some more casual robes, plus a selection of muggle style clothing."

"You're just in luck," Madam Malkin said. "I just received a shipment of muggle style clothes yesterday. And none of that odd stuff that most witches and wizards think muggles wear. Why don't you and your husband take a look while I fit this young man for his robes."

As Harry stood on a small, raised platform and was measured for his robes, Ted and Andromeda started looking through the muggle style clothes and found a few pairs of slacks, jeans, and shirts for Harry. After confirming with Madam Malkin, they had Harry's correct size and had the muggle clothing resized to fit him. Before they left, they had Harry change into the new, properly fitting clothes, leaving the oversized hand-me-downs behind to be disposed of.

"This feels weird," Harry said as they left the shop. "I'm not used to wearing clothes that fit me. Not that I'm complaining."

"Change always takes a little time to get used to," Ted said.

Their next stop was the Apothecary to buy Harry his cauldron and potion supplies, and then they stopped at another shop to buy his a telescope for his astronomy class. After that, they stopped at Flourish and Blots to buy Harry his schoolbooks. Andromeda also picked up a few extra books for Harry that wasn't on his school list. A few were for some of the classes he would be taking, telling him that the information in them would be quite useful for his education, and the other books were about the wizarding world in general to help Harry learn about this new world he would be living in, including a copy of Hogwarts, A History. Ted also picked him up a book on Quidditch, saying that every boy needed to know about the most popular sport in the wizarding world.

"Now for Harry's broom," Ted said with a smile on his face.

"Not yet," said Andromeda. "We still have one last item on Harry's school list… His wand."

Harry smiled when he heard that. While the idea of brooms interested him, he had really been looking forward to getting his wand.

When they entered Ollivander's, the only wand shop in Diagon Alley, Harry could feel the magic flowing through the place as he looked around at the endless piles of small, thin boxes behind the counter and heading further towards the back.

"Hello?" Ted called out.

"How may I help you?" a voice said from behind them, causing the three of them to jump as they spun around to find a man with wild silver hair and large owl like silver eyes standing there.

He looked at Ted and said, "Ahhh, Mr. Tonks. Ash and dragon heartstring. Twelve and a half inches."

He then looked at Andromeda and said, "And Miss Black, or I should said Mrs. Tonks. Beachwood and unicorn tail."

Ollivander then looked at Harry and said, "And Mr. Potter… I have been expecting you."

The man walked right up to Harry as he pulled a tape measurer out from his pocket.

"Tell me Mr. Potter, which is your wand hand?" he asked.

Since Harry was right handed, he guessed that he would be using his right hand to hold his wand and so held it up.

"Excellent," Ollivander said as he proceeded to measure Harry from his shoulder to his fingers, then wrist to elbow, shoulder to floor, knee to armpit and around his head.

"Every wand I make is unique, Mr. Potter," he said as he walked behind the counter and started to pull boxes from the shelves as the tape measurer continued to take measurements on its own. "Just like every witch and wizard is unique. No two wands are the same. That will be enough."

The tape measurer coiled itself up and floated to the counter where it landed and remained perfectly still.

"Try this one," he said, opening a box and pulling out a wand. "Oak and hippogriff feather."

Harry took the wand in his hand and held it.

"Well?" he said. "Give it a wave."

Harry waved the wand and three shelves of boxes came crashing to the floor.

"Not it," said Ollivander, taking the wand away.

"I'm sorry," Harry quickly said. "I didn't mean for that to happen."

"It's quite alright," said Ollivander with a smile. "Happens all the time. All part of the process of finding the correct wand. Now, try this one. Cherry blossom wood and dragon heartstring."

Harry hesitantly took the wand and just as he started to give it a wave, the windows at the front of the shop shattered.

"No, definitely not," said Ollivander said as Andromeda pulled out her wand and used it to repair the window, making it look as good as new.

"Thank you," said Ollivander as he pulled out another wand and handed it to Harry. "Ash and mermaid hair."

"Mermaid?" asked Harry as he took the wand, and gave it a wave, causing the chair Ted was sitting on to collapse.

Harry was about to apologize again when Ted started laughing and said, "Same thing happened when Dora was trying to find her wand."

Ollivander took the wand back from Harry and inspected it. "Same wand as well," he said, putting it back into the box. "It must not like that chair."

Over the next hour, Harry had tried nearly a hundred different wands with none of them working right. And while Harry began to worry that they would never find the right wand for him, Ollivander grew more and more excited.

Finally, after trying a birch and wood-nymph hair wand, Ollivander looked up at one of the highest shelves and quietly said, "I wonder."

He rolled the ladder over to where he needed it and climbed up to grab a box covered with a thick layer of dust.

"Try this one," he said, pulling the wand out of the box as he got down from the latter. "Holly and phoenix feather."

Harry took the wand in his hand, expecting it to not work properly just like the others. However, to his surprise, the moment he held the wand, it shot out a series of rainbow colored sparks, causing Ollivander, Ted, and Andromeda to cheer.

"Congratulations," Ted said, patting Harry on the shoulder. "You found your wand."

"Indeed," said Ollivander as he took it back and placed it in the box. "Curious though."

"What's curious?" asked Andromeda.

"It is curious that Mr. Potter be destined for this wand," said Ollivander, "when its twin gave him that scar."

"What do you mean?" asked Ted, a little confused.

"The phoenix tail feather that resides in Mr. Potter's wand only gave me two feathers," said Ollivander. "This one… And the one that was the core of the wand that belonged to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. I believe we can expect great things from you Mr. Potter, for he did great things. Terrible, oh yes… But great… That'll be seven galleons."

Harry paid for his wand and the three of them left with all of them feeling a little uneasy about what they had just learned.

Trying to break the tension, Andromeda suggested that they get some ice cream before going broom shopping.

Harry had a peanut butter and jelly ice cream in a waffle cone, however while he ate, he couldn't shake what Ollivander had said.

"Something wrong Harry?" Ted asked, seeing the look on the young boys' face.

"Kind of," Harry said. "What did he do?"

"What did who do?" asked Andromeda.

"The man who gave me this scar," said Harry, lifting his hair to show it.

Ted and Andromeda looked at each other and had a silent conversation for a moment before deciding that Harry needed to know, especially since pretty much everyone else in the wizarding world did.

"It was dark times Harry," Ted said. "No one knows where he came from. Just one day he appeared here in Britain and started to gather followers, including…"

Ted trailed off and looked at his wife.

"Including my sisters," she said sadly.

"Everyone was afraid," Ted continued. "No one really knew who to trust. People were being killed just for speaking out against him. Your parents… They were two of the bravest people I've ever met. Not only did they speak out against him and his followers, they joined the fight against them. At least three different times they faced him personally, and each time they survived. Not only that, but from what I've heard, your dad even managed to wound him once. Then you were born. Your parents knew you would be in danger because of the thorn they were in his side, so they went into hiding to protect you. Everything was going fine in keeping you and your parents safe until the Halloween night after your first birthday… Someone betrayed your parents and told You-Know-Who how to find them. No one really knows what happened that night other than your parents died by his wand. And then he tried to kill you and failed. No one survives the killing curse, and yet somehow not only did you survive, but when he tried to kill you, it killed him instead. That's where your scar comes from. That was were the curse hit you and bounced back to him."

"It's important you know about this Harry because most of the wizarding world does," said Andromeda. "To a lot of people, you are a hero. Because of you, one of the darkest times we've ever known was ended. And because of that, a lot of people are going to expect a lot of big things from you. But just remember, as long as you do your best, Ted and I promise that we will be proud of you."

"That's right," said Ted. "No matter what happens, to us you'll always just be Harry. A young boy that needed a proper family and were more than willing to give him one."

"Thanks," Harry said, feeling a little better.

After the three of them finished their ice cream, Harry and Ted headed for Quality Quidditch Supplies while Andromeda went somewhere else, saying she had something she needed to take care of and wanted to do it while they looked at brooms.

"Wow," Harry says as they walked in and he saw all of the different broom models for sale. He had no idea that there were so many kinds. They walked around the shop for a while with Ted explaining all of the different brooms to him, and also explaining about the Quidditch gear and the various balls used in the game.

"So… Which one do you like the best?" Ted asked.

"Well," said Harry, looking around the shop. "I really liked the Nimbus 2000."

"Ahhh, a speed demon," Ted said with a smile. He then walked over to one of the men standing behind the counter and told him that he wanted to buy a Nimbus 2000.

"But, you can't do that," Harry said. "It's expensive."

"It's perfectly fine Harry," Ted said.

"No, it isn't," said Harry. "It's too much money to spend on me. I'm not…" He then trailed off, though Ted was pretty sure what Harry was going to say.

"Harry," he said kneeling down so he could look the young boy in the eyes. "You are worth it. I know your aunt and uncle have made you think that you aren't worth anything, but they're wrong. They're the ones not worth anything for treating you the way you did. As for the price, it really doesn't matter. I know your birthday is coming up, and I'm pretty sure your relatives didn't buy you any presents when you lived with them, so look at this broom as a birthday present, with interest. Okay?"

Harry nodded his head and felt himself close to crying. Not because he was sad, but because he was happy. And not only because he was getting a broom, but because of the entire day. For the first time that he could remember, it was the first time he had felt like someone really cared about him.

After paying for the broom, Harry and Ted left the shop and ran into Andromeda, who was carrying a cage.

"Is that an owl?" asked Harry.

"It is," said Andromeda. "Your birthday is coming up, and so I decided to get you an early present."

Harry was about to say something, but then remembered the conversation he had just had with Ted.

"Thank you," Harry said. "But I don't understand. Why an owl?"

"Owls are very useful to have," Andromeda said. "Not only do they make great pets, they are also how witches and wizards send letters to each other."

"Why not just use the telephone?" asked Harry as they began walking back towards the portal that led to the Leaky Cauldron.

"I keep forgetting you grew up in the muggle world," said Ted. "Sometimes even I forget what it was like since I've spent so much time in the magical world. You see, magic interferes with muggle technology most of the time. So, phones really wouldn't work in a magical house."

"What about TV's?" asked Harry, remembering some of the times that the TV in the Dursley's house would start acting up right before weird things happened.

"Yes, TV's too," said Ted.

"So, what do you do for fun without TV?" asked Harry. His only example in life was the Dursley's, who did nothing but watch TV when they were home.

"Well, we read," said Andromeda. "Plus, the magical world has its own version of the radio called a Wizarding Wireless."

"Don't forget Quidditch," added Ted.

"Yes, and Quidditch," said Andromeda. "Some people also like to keep a garden or a greenhouse to grow not only fruits and vegetables, but also some of the plants that are used in potion ingredients."

"There is also swimming," said Ted. "We have a small lake on our property which is great during the summer. Maybe before you go to Hogwarts, we can go for a swim."

"I don't know how," Harry admitted, sounding a little ashamed.

"Then we can teach you," said Ted. "Dora is an excellent swimmer, and she doesn't start her auror training till just after you leave for Hogwarts, so I'm sure she'd love to help out. Plus, she's a bit of a Quidditch nut and will teach you how to play. She's probably going to be right jealous of the fact that you have a Nimbus."

This worried Harry a bit. He didn't want someone in his new family to dislike him over something like a broom.

The three of them floo'd back home, and Andromeda told Harry to take his new things up to his room and put them away before coming down and setting the table for dinner.

Harry went upstairs and found a door with a sign hanging from it that said 'Harry's Room'. It reminded him of what he had carved into the wall of his cupboard with a loose nail he had found. However, when he opened the door, he found that it was nothing like his cupboard. The room was easily as big as his aunt and uncle's room. He had a large four poster bed that could sleep four of him. Five if they squeezed in together. There were empty bookshelves just waiting to be filled and a wardrobe with plenty of space for his new clothes and robes.

Harry put everything away and set up the owl perch near the window before letting his snowy white owl out of its cage.

"Hi, I'm Harry," he said to the owl, who just looked at him with large amber eyes. "I guess I need to give you a name, huh?"

Hoot.

"Hmmm," Harry wondered as he scratched his chin. "Maybe I should name you something magical."

He then grabbed one of his books that he had just placed on the bookshelf and opened it to a random page.

"How does Hedwig sound to you?" Harry asked.

The owl looked at Harry for a moment and blinked its eyes before giving a slight nod, as if agreeing with his selection of a name.

"Great," Harry said with a smile as he put the book back. "Well Hedwig, I'd like to hang around and get to know you, but I need to help set the table for dinner."

Hedwig hooted before spreading her wings and flying out through the open window.

"HEDWIG! WAIT!" Harry shouted as he ran to the window, watching as his new owl flew away.

It was with tear stained cheeks that Harry went down stairs and told Ted and Andromeda that his owl had flown away.

"And?" asked Ted, like it wasn't a big deal.

"You guys just got her for me and I already lost her," Harry said.

Ted and Andromeda shared a look before Andromeda pulled Harry into a hug, noticing him flinch and stiffen up a bit as she did so.

"Harry, your owl didn't run away," she said.

"She didn't?" asked Harry.

"No," she said. "While witches and wizards own owls, owls are free spirited creatures. They come and go as they please, but will always know when their owner needs them. Your owl, Hedwig?"

Harry nodded, confirming the name.

"Hedwig probably went hunting," said Andromeda. "It's nearly dinner time and owls have to eat as well. But unlike other pets, owls like to hunt their own food. It's one of the great things about them. As long as you remember to let them out, you never have to worry about feeding them."

"Oh," Harry said, wiping the tears away and taking a big sniff to clear his runny nose.

"Now come on," she said. "Dinner is just about ready, so go set the table and we can eat."

Harry nodded and went into the kitchen to set the table for four with the plates, glasses, and silverware that had already been set aside for him.

Just as he was sitting down at the table and watching as Andromeda finished cooking, the back door opened and a woman with bubblegum pink hair walked in.

"Wotcher mum," she said. "Something smells good. What'cha making?"

"Pot roast," Andromeda said. "Go wash up."

The young woman nodded and started to leave the kitchen when she spotted the young boy sitting at the table.

"Wotcher," she said. "And who might you be?"

"Hi," Harry said. "I'm Harry. Harry Potter. Ted and Andromeda are letting me live here now."

Tonks stared at Harry for a moment, thinking it was some kind of joke. No way would THE Harry Potter be living with her and her parents. She looked over at her mum, who smiled and nodded.

"Right," said Tonks. "Okay then."

Her eyes then rolled back into her head just moments before she fainted.

"Well," Andromeda said. "She took the news better than I thought she would."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three – Friends and Houses**

Just a little over a month. That was how long it had been since Harry came to live with the Tonks'. However, if you had seen the boy back then and then seen him now, you would find it hard to believe that they were the same person.

When Harry came to live with them, he had tried to put up a false front of having moved on from the torment his life had been, yet it was obvious that he was still quite nervous and shy. Especially at night when he would wake up screaming from some nightmare usually involving monstrous versions of the Dursley's coming and taking him away with promises of being locked away in a deep dark hole and tortured viciously. Andromeda would then spend nearly an hour with Harry, just holding him and reassuring him that everything would be all right till he fell back asleep.

It took a few weeks, but by mid-August, the nightmares had ended and Harry finally started the recovery process by talking with his new family about everything that had happened when he lived with his relatives.

Tonks was a huge help, once she got over the shock that Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, was basically her little brother now, and spent the rest of her summer hanging out with him. Some of her friends weren't happy with this, since she had only told them that she couldn't hang out with them due to family issues, not wanting word to get out about Harry living with them. The last thing he needed were reporters hounding him about where he had been all these years.

She talked to Harry about anything he wanted to talk about, which was mostly about what it was like at Hogwarts. She told him about what classes were like and what it was like being in Hufflepuff.

"Most of the school looks down on Hufflepuff because we don't fit into the brave, smart, or sneaky stab you in the back types," she said one day as they sat under a tree, enjoying the warm summer air. "But the truth is, 'Puffs are the jack of all trades type. We can do anything as long as we put our mind to it. Plus, you'll never have a more loyal bunch of friends than the ones you make in Hufflepuff."

By the time the summer was drawing to an end, Harry was no longer pretending to have moved on. He really had. He still had moments when he was nervous or shy about certain things, but nothing as bad as when he had first arrived.

OoOoOoOoOoO

The morning of September the first was a little chaotic as Harry kept feeling like he was forgetting something and would continuously unpack and repack his trunk, each time finding that he had what he was looking for.

"Keep this up and mum is gonna get you a Remembrall," Tonks said with a grin as she watched Harry repack his trunk for the forth time.

"What's a Remembrall?" asked Harry.

"Something you don't want to be caught with at Hogwarts," Tonks said. "Kids who have them usually get made fun of. By the way, I'd take your broom out of your trunk. Mum will check to see if you try and sneak it."

Harry groaned as he opened his trunk and pulled out his Nimbus 2000, which he had discovered that flying had come as natural to him as swimming does to a fish.

"That rule about first years not being allowed brooms is stupid," Harry said as he closed his trunk. "I mean, how am I supposed to try out for the house team without it?"

"You're preaching to the choir here," Tonks said. One of the many things they had done was play some one on one Quidditch games, and just like flying, Harry was a natural at the game. His love for it increased when Ted had told him that his dad had played when he went to Hogwarts as a Chaser for his house team.

"Come on you two," Andromeda called from downstairs. "If you don't hurry up, Harry is going to miss the train."

"Coming," Harry said, and started to pick up his trunk.

"Allow me," Tonks said as she pulled out her wand. "_Locomotor Trunk_."

The trunk floated up a few feet and followed as Tonks left the room and headed down the stairs with Harry bringing up the rear.

"You have everything?" Ted asked when they came downstairs.

"Yes sir," Harry said as Andromeda pulled out her wand and waved it around Harry's trunk, causing it to glow green.

"You warned him?" she asked, looking at her daughter.

"Of course I did," said Tonks. "I look out for my little bro."

Harry smiled when she said that. He had really come to enjoy being thought of as a real member of the family, and not just some kid that they took in, or a live in slave and punching bag like the Dursley's had treated him.

"Alright then," said Ted. "Harry, I'll side-along you to the platform. Dora, you can take Harry's trunk."

Harry then grabbed Ted's arm and took a deep breath before they apparated away, appearing a moment later in a roped off corner of Platform Nine and Three Quarters that had been designated for apparation.

"Whoa," Harry said when he first laid eyes on the scarlet colored steam engine of the Hogwarts Express.

"Amazing, isn't it?" asked Ted, smiling at the look of wonder once again on Harry's face. It reminded him of when he was a child and had first been introduced to the magical world.

"We get to Hogwarts in that?" asked Harry just as Tonks appeared and somehow managed to trip over her own feet, landing on her behind.

"Yes," said Ted. "It gives old friends a chance to catch up during the seven hour journey, as well as the new students to make new friends."

Harry started to feel a little nervous. He had never had friends before. When he lived with the Dursley's, Dudley and his gang had made sure that none of the other kids at school wanted to be friends with him for fear that they would get beaten up, while his aunt and uncle convinced the neighbors that he was a trouble maker.

"Don't worry Harry," Andromeda said. "Everyone is nervous when they first leave for Hogwarts. Nymphadora…"

Tonks glared at her mother as she stood up.

"… was nearly in tears that no one would want to be her friend because she was a metamorphmagus."

"Really?" asked Harry, looking at Tonks.

"I wouldn't say that I cried," said the pink haired witch. "A little worried maybe. But it was all for nothing. The train had barely left the station before I made my first friend."

The butterflies that had started to go nuts in Harry's stomach started to calm down a bit after hearing that.

"Come on," Tonks said as she levitated Harry's trunk. "Let's grab you a compartment and then you can come and say goodbye to us before you go."

Ted and Andromeda watched as a happy Harry followed Tonks towards the train.

"It's amazing, isn't it?" asked Ted.

"What is?" asked his wife.

"The changes in Harry," he said. "It was only a month ago that he was just a scared little boy. Now… It's almost hard to tell that he had been through all that he had."

"I know," said Andromeda. "Dora helped a lot with that just by being there for him. I don't know if Harry could've moved on as quickly as he did without her."

OoOoOoOoOoO

Harry followed Tonks through one train car after another as they searched for an available compartment.

"Let's try this one," she said when they had reached the last car on the train. She slid open the door and Harry found that there was only one other person there. A young girl with bushy brown hair, who was reading a book that looked to be about as thick as his arm.

She looked up from her book with a hint of shock in her eyes.

"Anyone else sitting here?" asked Tonks.

"No," the girl said, shaking her head. "But… Wouldn't you feel more comfortable sitting with the older students instead of a first year like me?"

"Well, if I were a student, probably," said Tonks. "But I'm not. I'm just helping my little brother find a seat and load his trunk."

Tonks flicked her wand, causing the levitating trunk to float up into the luggage rack.

"Oh," said the girl, who then noticed Harry standing just outside the compartment. "I'm sorry. I just thought…"

"It's alright," said Tonks, who then turned to Harry. "Come on squirt. Let's go say goodbye to mum and dad, and then you can come back and get to know your compartment mate."

As Tonks left, Harry gave the girl a shy kind of smile, which she returned before he followed after his adopted older sister.

When they exited the train and headed over towards where Ted and Andromeda were waiting, they passed a group of red heads. The youngest, a girl, was crying about how she wanted to go to Hogwarts, and one of the older red heads that Harry guessed was her brother promised to send her a toilet seat, which caused the young girl to laugh and their mother to start lecturing the boy about behaving this year.

"Did you find a compartment?" Andromeda asked.

"Yes," Harry said.

"One with a girl," Tonks said, giving Harry a wicked grin.

"A girl? Really?" asked Ted. "Harry, I had no idea you were into girls already. Maybe before you go you and I should have a talk."

"What?" asked Harry, sounding a little panicked. "No. I don't know her. Tonks was the one that picked the compartment. I don't think about girls like that yet."

The three of them started laughing, though Andromeda had enough sense to try and hide it, and Harry knew that they were just messing with him.

"Ha, ha," said Harry. "Very funny."

The fact that Harry didn't take any offence by their joking was further proof as to just how far he had come during his healing process.

Before they knew it, the train whistle blew, signaling that it was almost eleven and time for the train to leave.

"Alright, time for you to get going," said Andromeda as she hugged Harry, who hugged her back after only a second of hesitation. "Don't forget to write and let us know what house you were sorted into."

"I will," said Harry. He then gave Ted a quick hug before turning to Tonks, hugging her and saying, "Good luck with your auror training. Try not to faint."

"Cheeky bugger," Tonks said with a grin.

After saying goodbye, and another quick round of hugs, Harry ran back onto the train and into his compartment with the bushy haired girl and waved out the window at his family as the train started to pull out of the station.

The two of them sat in silence for nearly fifteen minutes with Harry looking out the window, watching the passing scenery, while the bushy haired girl read her book, occasionally peering over the top of it at the young boy sitting across from her.

"I'm Hermione," the girl said, finally growing tired of the silence. "Hermione Granger."

"Harry Potter," Harry said, noticing the girls' eyes go wide upon hearing his name.

"Are you really?" she asked.

"Um, I hope so," said Harry. "If not, then I'm wearing someone else's underpants."

"Wow," said Hermione. "I've never met anyone that I've read about before."

"You've read about me?" asked Harry.

"Yes," said Hermione. "In _Modern Magical History_, _ The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts_, and _Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century_. My parents got me a few extra books when we found out I was a witch so I could learn all I could about this new world."

"Same here," Harry said.

"You mean, you didn't know about the magical world?" asked Hermione, a little surprised by this news.

"Not until just before my eleventh birthday when Professor McGonagall brought me my letter," said Harry. "Before that, I had no idea that magic was real."

"She came and brought my letter as well," said Hermione. "I didn't believe her at first. I mean, the idea of magic just seemed far fetched. Then she turned a tea cup into a mouse and then back."

"Table into a lion," said Harry, smiling as he thought back to that day.

"So, what books have you read so far?" asked Hermione.

"Not much," said Harry. "I took a look at my class books. Potions mostly. I thought it very important after I talked to someone and found out that one little mistake could cause serious problems. A few extra history books about the early years of the magical government and the laws. Or, at least I tried too. I found them kind of boring and gave up on it. A Quidditch book, which talked about the history of the sport… Oh, and a book called _Hogwarts, A History_."

Hermione let out a little squeak, which surprised Harry. Especially when she got up and started digging through her trunk until she pulled out her own copy of the same book.

"I love this book," she said, sitting back down. "It's amazing how only four people managed to not only use magic to build such a large castle, but to single handedly change the magical world by putting an end to the old apprentice system and instead teaching everyone that was magical how to use it."

Harry and Hermione spent the next three hours talking about everything that they had read in the book and what they had thought about it.

When the snack trolley came around, Harry bought himself a couple chocolate frogs, some licorice wands, and a bottle of pumpkin juice, while Hermione only bought herself some pumpkin juice. When Harry gave her an inquisitive look as she sat back down, she said, "My parents are dentists. They really don't like me having sweets."

"Oh," said Harry as he opened one of his chocolate frogs. The candy frog leapt from the package, right at Hermione, who screamed in surprise as Harry reached out and grabbed the frog with ease.

"Sorry about that," he said. "I forgot that they like to jump out of the package sometimes." He then bit one of the legs off before continuing, "They're not all that great to begin with. I only buy them for the cards since my sister got me started on collecting them on my birthday… Great, another Dumbledore. That makes, like, fifteen that I have."

"Your sister?" asked Hermione. "I didn't know you had a sister. All the books I read said that you were an only child when your parents…"

Hermione looked down, embarrassed at bringing up the fact that his parents had been killed.

"Died?" Harry finished for her and she nodded, still looking down.

"I am an only child," said Harry. "But Tonks, the girl who helped me bring my trunk in, is practically my sister. Has been since her parents adopted me."

"Oh," said Hermione, looking up again. "She seems… Interesting."

"You don't know the half of it," said Harry with a smirk. "She's really great though. She helped teach me how to fly a broom, and also introduced me to the Weird Sisters."

"The Weird Sisters?" asked Hermione, picturing the characters from Macbeth.

"They're a band," said Harry. "The wizarding world has its own music."

Just then, the compartment door slid open and a young boy with a round face was standing there, looking a little upset.

"Excuse me," he said quietly. "You haven't seen a toad anywhere, have you?"

"Can't say that I have," said Harry, who looked at Hermione. "You?"

"No," said Hermione. "But if you want, we can help you look."

"Really?" the boy asked.

"Sure, why not," said Harry.

Harry and Hermione both got up and followed the boy out into the corridor.

"By the way, I'm Hermione, and this is Harry," said Hermione.

"Neville," the boy said as he looked at Harry for a moment before shaking his head.

For the next half hour, the three of them walked up and down the train, checking with each compartment to see if anyone had seen Neville's toad. Most of the students had been polite and said that they hadn't, while a couple had been a little on the rude side.

One of the rude ones had been a boy with red hair who laughed at Neville for having a toad, too which Harry pointed out that having a toad was better than what appeared to be a dead rat sitting on the seat next to the red haired boy.

Another rude student was a boy with slicked back platinum blond hair. Unlike the red head who was sitting alone, this boy was sharing his compartment with two large boys that reminded Harry of some gorillas he had seen when he had gone to the zoo for his cousin's birthday. They didn't say anything, but the blond boy did, and it wasn't nice. He kept calling Neville a squib and saying that it was obvious that Hogwarts had really lowered its standards if they allowed squibs to attend.

Back in Harry and Hermione's compartment, Neville was sitting with them after they had given up on their search for his toad, and he was telling them what a squib was.

"How could he even know if you are one or not?" asked Hermione. "We haven't gotten to school yet to practice magic."

"My great uncle Algie," said Neville. "He works in the Ministry and likes to talk about everything. He probably told everyone that would listen how I never did any accidental magic till I was nine, and only because he threw me out of a third floor window."

Both Harry and Hermione gasped at that.

"If it wasn't for my magic causing me to bounce like a rubber ball…" Neville shivered at the mental image he had of how badly he could have been hurt.

"Don't worry Nev," Harry said, patting the boy on the shoulder, much like Ted did with him when trying to reassure him that everything would be alright. "I'm sure you'll be a great wizard."

Neville looked at Harry and smiled shyly.

"Can… Can I ask you a question?" asked Neville.

"Sure," said Harry.

"Are you Harry Potter?" asked Neville.

"That all depends," said Harry.

"On what?" asked Neville, wondering if his suspicions had been wrong.

"Does this Harry Potter person have a scar?" asked Harry.

"Yes," said Neville. "It's supposedly shaped like a lightning bolt and is on his forehead."

"You mean like this one?" asked Harry, pulling back his hair and showing Neville his scar.

Neville gasped in surprise.

"I-I-I-I-I-I," Neville stammered.

"Deep breaths," said Hermione. "Take slow and deep breaths."

Neville did as she said.

"I have been hanging out with Harry Potter," Neville said, more to himself than those with him.

Both Harry and Hermione was a little surprised by Neville's reaction as the boy sat there, frozen in shock. They had spent nearly an hour together as they tried to hunt down Neville's lost toad. It didn't make sense to them for him to suddenly freeze up like that.

"Maybe if we splash him with some cold water?" Hermione suggested.

Harry grabbed his half full bottle of pumpkin juice and poured it over Neville's head, causing the young wizard to sputter.

"I said water, not pumpkin juice," said Hermione.

"It's wet," said Harry. "Plus, it worked."

Hermione sighed as she shook her head.

"Hey Nev," Harry said. "You doing alright?"

"I think so," said Neville as he used his shirt to wipe his face. "Sorry about that. It's just… You're famous."

"So I've heard," Harry said dryly. "Look, there's something you need to understand if we're going to be friends. Yes, I might have some how beaten Voldemort…"

Neville gasped.

"What?" asked Harry.

"You said his name," said Neville, a hint of both fear and awe in his voice.

"And?" asked Harry.

"No one says his name," said Neville. "Well, except for Dumbledore."

"That's ridiculous," said Hermione. "It's just a name. Why would anyone be afraid of saying a name?"

"I think I know," said Harry, thinking back to what Ted and Andromeda had told him about Voldemort. He then told Hermione the story.

"Still," she said when Harry was done. "It's only a name. I mean, what if they started calling bunny rabbits 'Voldemort'? Would you suddenly be afraid of bunnies?"

"Depends," said Harry.

"On?" asked Hermione.

"On if this bunny is the Rabbit of Caerbannog," Harry said with a strait face.

Hermione stared at him for a moment before she exploded with laughter. Harry soon joined her in laughing while Neville looked at them like they were mad.

"Anyways," Harry said, once he got his laughter under control. "As I was saying. I might have beaten Voldemort, but I was only a year old then. I don't know how I did it. I don't know any special magic or have some ancient arcane knowledge. I'm just… Harry. Just plain old simple Harry. Understand?"

Neville nodded his head and said, "I think so… Sorry I acted the way I did. I guess since you disappeared after you defeated You-Know-Who, everyone has just sort of made you more into a legend than a person. Even my Gran used to tell me bedtime stories about the famed Boy-Who-Lived when I was little. I guess I'll just have to get used to the idea that you're normal, just like everyone else."

"That's all I ask," Harry said with a smile as he patted Neville on the back.

"Though, now I do have another question," said Neville.

"Which is?" asked Hermione.

"What is this Rabbit of Caerbannog you two mentioned?" asked Neville, earning another round of laugher from Harry and Hermione.

OoOoOoOoOoO

The rest of their first trip on the Hogwarts Express went without much of anything happening. The three of them spent their time discussing what they thought their year would be like, with Harry adding in bits of what Tonks had told him.

When it was time to put their robes on, Neville had to leave for a moment to get his since he had left his trunk in another compartment, and so Harry and Hermione slipped their school robes on over their clothes. They had just sat down and watched as the sun set over the Scottish mountains when Neville returned.

OoOoOoOoOoO

"Firs' years!" someone called out. "Firs' years, right this way!"

Harry smiled when he recognized the voice of Hagrid.

"Hi Hagrid," Harry said as he walked up to the half giant.

"Hello Harry," Hagrid said. "Did you have a nice trip on the train?"

"I did," said Harry. "I even made some friends already. This is Hermione Granger."

"Hello," Hermione politely said, though she was a little surprised by the size of the man.

"And that's Neville Longbottom," said Harry.

"H-h-h-h-hello," Neville said, feeling a little nervous.

"A pleasure to meet you two," said Hagrid, who then looked around at the gathered first year students. "Is this everyone?"

No one answered since they didn't know.

"Good," Hagrid said with a smile. "Follow me and we can get on the boats."

The group of first year students followed Hagrid down a long path towards a lake where a dozen boats were waiting for them on the shoreline.

"No more than four to a boat," Hagrid called out as he got into his own boat.

Harry, Hermione, and Neville all got into the same boat along with blond girl with pigtails.

Hagrid looked over his shoulder, making sure that everyone was in a boat before he tapped his own boat with a large, pink umbrella, causing all of the boats to gently glide out into the water.

The first years all gasped when they came around the bend of the lake, taking in their first site of the majestic castle that was Hogwarts. Even Harry was awed by the site, seeing it for the first time all lit up at night.

One by one, the boats came to a stop at the dock, letting Hagrid and the first years off and to begin their long trek up the winding stairs that led to the castle grounds.

As soon as they reached the large front doors of the castle, Hagrid banged on it with his large first.

A moment later, the door opened and Professor McGonagall stepped out. Gone was a warm, friendly woman that Harry remembered helping him escape from the Dursley's. Instead, she looked out over the group of students with a stern expression on her face.

As she stared at the students, Harry began to wonder if maybe he had been wrong about her. That maybe she wasn't as nice as she appeared to be. However, that thought vanished when he saw her looking at him and noticed the corner of her mouth twitch with a smile. He then knew that this was the act. She had to appear stern to all of the new students so that they knew that she meant business.

"New batch of firs' years Professor McGonagall, all present and accounted for," said Hagrid.

"Thank you Hagrid," said McGonagall.

Hagrid nodded and gave Harry a smile and a thumbs up before heading inside.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," McGonagall said. "Very shortly we shall be heading inside the Great Hall where you shall be sorted into your houses. While you are here, your houses will be like your family. You will eat together at your house table and live and study together in your house common room and dormitories. Remember that your accomplishments can earn your house points, while any rule breaking will cause you to lose points for your house. Now, please wait here while I make sure everything is ready."

McGonagall left the group of first years and entered into the Great Hall. As soon as she was gone, most of the students began talking to one another. Harry overheard the red haired boy that made fun of Neville for having a toad telling a couple boys that his older brothers had told him that they would have to face a troll before they could be sorted.

Harry had to choke back the laugh he felt coming when he heard that. It was obvious that his brothers had lied to him since Tonks had told Harry a few days ago that all the sorting was, was that each student had their name called and that student would sit on a stool in front of the rest of the school while a magical hat sat on their head and peaked into their mind to see which house suited them best.

When Harry noticed the worried look on Neville's face, he leaned in close to him and Hermione and told them what Tonks had told him about the sorting, causing both of them to relax.

Unfortunately, that relaxed state didn't last long, when all of the sudden, the light from the torches flickered out and a large, evil looking ghost flew into the room, cackling like a mad man while throwing small rocks at the group of first year students.

"All gonna get you, they're all gonna get you," the evil ghost sang while continuing to throw rocks.

Suddenly, the torches flared back to life and the ghost stopped. Harry noticed that in the light, it didn't look as evil or scary. What did look scary was the angry look on McGonagall's face as she stood in the doorway with another ghost next to her. This ghost was splattered in bright silver stains and it had a sword in hand, making Harry guess that the stains might have been blood when the ghost was alive.

"PEEVES!" the ghost with McGonagall shouted, not sounding the least bit happy.

"Yes, your bloodiness?" asked the ghost that had scared the first year students.

"What have I told you about trying to scare the new students on their first night?" asked the Bloody Barron.

"Not to?" Peeves said.

"And what did I tell you would happen if you did it again?" asked the Bloody Barron.

Despite the fact that he was a ghost, Harry could tell that Peeves was going pale.

"No," said Peeves. "Not that. Anything but that."

"Yes," said the Bloody Barron. "You will spend the next month with Myrtle. Now GO!"

Peeves squeaked before he flew off through a wall.

"I apologize for Peeves' actions," the Bloody Barron said to the gathered students. "He always tries to do something to scare the first years when they arrive. Maybe after this punishment, he'll learn his lesson. Professor."

The ghost bowed to McGonagall before flying off through a wall.

"If you will follow me, the sorting can begin," McGonagall said. She then led the group of nervous first years into the Great Hall.

As they walked the long length of the room up towards the front, Harry felt a little awkward as pretty much every eye was watching them.

When they reached the front, the first years stopped while McGonagall walked over to a small side room and returned a moment later with a stool and a very old and patched up hat. She set the hat on the stool and walked off to the side.

Harry suddenly noticed that it had grown very quiet in the Great Hall and that everyone at the four house tables, as well as the professors sitting at the head table, were all staring at the hat.

Even though Harry knew what to expect, it still surprised him when a tear near the brim of the hat appeared as the sorting hat let out a very loud yawn.

The sorting hat then proceeded to sing a song that, to Harry at least, sounded more like it was boasting about how great it thought it was while telling the first years what it could do.

Finally, when the song ended, McGonagall pulled out a roll of parchment and looked at the first years.

"When I call your name, you will step forward and place the sorting hat on your head and be sorted into your house," said McGonagall.

"That's it?" the red haired boy asked, a little louder than he probably intended, and from a table full of students with robes that had red trim on them, twin red headed boys started laughing.

McGonagall first glared at the red haired first year, then at the twin red headed boys.

"Abbot, Hannah," McGonagall called out, and the blond girl with pigtails that had shared their boat nervously walked towards the sorting hat.

She picked it up and placed it on her head as she sat down on the stool. The hat was larger than her head, and so it fell down a bit, covering her eyes. Then there was a moment of silence before…

"HUFFLEPUFF!" the hat shouted.

Cheers rang up from the table where students with yellow trimmed robes sat as Hannah took the hat off and joined her house.

"Bones, Susan," McGonagall said.

"HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat.

"Boot, Terry."

"RAVENCLAW!"

The sorting went on, with tables full of students cheering when someone was sorted into their house.

"Granger, Hermione," McGonagall said.

Hermione took a deep, calming breath before she stepped forward and sat down on the stool, placing the hat on her head.

The hat seemed to take a little longer than it did with the other students before it shouted out its decision.

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

Harry smiled at her as she walked by on her way to her house table, and she smiled back.

Harry didn't pay much attention to the other kids being sorted until he heard Neville's name being called.

Neville, being as nervous as he was, ran towards the stool and tripped, earning a few laughs from some of the students. One of which, Harry noticed, was the blond boy from the train.

"HUFFLEPUFF!" the hat shouted and Neville quickly made his way towards the table, the hat still on his head.

"Mr. Longbottom, I do believe we still need that," McGonagall said.

Neville blushed as he took off the hat and set it back on the stool before running to sit with his new housemates.

Harry noticed that when the blond boy, who's name was Draco Malfoy, had been called, the hat had barely been placed on his head before it shouted out, "SLYTHERIN!" and he then practically strutted over to the table full of students with green trimmed robes with a smirk on his face.

A few more students were sorted before the moment finally came.

"Potter, Harry."

As Harry made his way over to the stool, he could hear as practically every student in the Great Hall began whispering. And while he had been expecting it, it was still a little unnerving to have so many people start talking about you.

Harry sat down and placed the sorting hat on his head, causing it to drop down and block his vision. He felt a wave of magic wash over him as a bright light nearly blinded him before fading and revealing four people standing before him in some empty space.

"Welcome to Hogwarts, Mr. Potter," a man with long red hair and a red beard said. "My name is Godric Gryffindor. This is Salazar Slytherin, Helga Hufflepuff, and Rowena Ravenclaw. We are the founders of Hogwarts."

Harry just stared at them in surprise. Tonks never said anything about this.

"I can see that a former student never told you about this part," Rowena said. "I believe she meant it as a surprise."

"You can read my mind?" asked Harry.

"Of course we can," said Salazar. "I was quite skilled with both Legilimency and Occlumency during my life. A power I placed into the hat in order for us to see who you really are and place you into your proper house."

"So, wait… You're not really here?" asked Harry.

"No," said Helga. "We are just fragments of our magic from when we were alive. Before we passed on, the four of us would personally place each student into their house. However, when we grew old and our time was near its end, we created the hat to continue on in our place."

"You wonder why it took only so little time for the other students," said Rowena, reading the question that was at the front of Harry's mind. "While only a few seconds pass outside, here, the magic of the hat can allow us all the time we need to place you."

"Oh," said Harry, feeling a little weird knowing that all of this was taking place faster than he could blink.

"So, let us begin," Godric said. "You have much bravery hidden within you."

"And also quite the thirst for knowledge," said Rowena.

"I sense a desire for greatness," said Salazar. "To prove you are as good as people believe you to be."

"Not really," said Harry, and the four founders just stared at him. "Okay, fine. Maybe a little. But it's not my fault. I feel like I have so much to live up to. Everyone is going to expect so much from me because of what happened when I was just a baby."

"It is a burden," said Helga. "But a burden you must wear… However, I do believe I know the best way for you to manage it, as do my fellows."

"Agreed," said Godric.

"Indeed," sad Rowena.

Salazar remained quiet as he stared at Harry. "I am torn," he said. "I sense you are right, and at the same time… Something I have not felt in years."

"I sense it as well," said Rowena. "But this is neither the time, nor the place to discuss such things as it is for the ears of the Headmaster alone."

"Very well," said Salazar.

"Then we are decided?" asked Godric and the other three nodded. "Good."

"Welcome Harry," Helga said with a warm smile. "To the house of…"

"HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the sorting hat.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four – The House of Badgers**

The students at the Hufflepuff table exploded into cheers and loud applause. As far back as anyone could remember, Hufflepuff had been looked upon as a joke. Now, the great and famous Harry Potter was one of their own. The rest of the tables applauded politely, though it was obvious that they were a little disappointed that they didn't get Harry in their house, while a few of the Slytherins began whispering to each other that if Potter was a Badger, then maybe his legend was just a trumped up lie, because obviously someone as powerful as he was supposed to be would be in Slytherin.

Up at the head table, Dumbledore sat with a pleased smile on his face, knowing that Hufflepuff was exactly where Harry needed to be if he was to truly get over the life he had once lived. Further down the table, Pomona Sprout, Herbology teacher and head of Hufflepuff house was bursting with happiness. Three of the four heads of house had placed bets on who would get Harry. The only one who didn't participate had been Severus Snape, who said that if Potter was sorted into his house, he would get up and leave the moment it happened.

Said head of Slytherin and potions master was sitting near the end of the head table, watching Harry with a distrustful eye. The boy looked exactly like his former nemesis, right down to that cocky looking smile on his face as he sat down next to the foolish child that had run off with the sorting hat on his head and the young witch with the bushy hair. Seeing Harry sitting there was a reminder of the past that he had tried to forget.

The rest of the sorting went on, and when it was finished, McGonagall took the stool and hat into a side room before she took her seat next to Dumbledore.

Dumbledore stood up and smiled as he looked around the Great Hall at all of the students, noticing that some of the returning students already had knives and forks in hand, only waiting for the Headmaster's word.

"Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts," Dumbledore said. "Before we begin our excellent feast, I only have a few words to say. Nitwit. Blubber. Oddment. Tweak… Thank you."

"Is he mad?" asked Hermione.

"A little," someone sitting nearby said. "Could you pass the potatoes?"

Harry, Hermione, and Neville, who had been looking at Dumbledore, gasped in surprise when they noticed that the table was now loaded with plates of all kinds of food.

In a little bit of a daze, Hermione passed the potatoes over while Harry started loading up his plate with thick slices of turkey and Neville grabbed himself a few chicken legs.

The three of them enjoyed their dinner while introducing themselves to those around them.

"I still can't believe it," someone said. "Harry Potter in Hufflepuff."

"Look," Harry said. "I'm not all that special. I'm just like everyone else. I know the same amount of magic as all the other first years."

"Still," a girl with red hair said. Harry, who had only sort of been paying attention during the sorting thought that her name was Susan. "You're THE Harry Potter."

Harry sighed as he realized that even in his own house, it would take time before everyone got over the fact that he was who he was.

"Harry," an older boy said as he walked over and squeezed onto the bench next to him. "I'm Alexander Portman. Seventh year prefect and captain of our house Quidditch team."

"Hi," said Harry as he poured himself some pumpkin juice.

"Tell me Harry, do you have any interest in Quidditch?" asked Alexander.

"A little," said Harry. "Why?"

"Well, as I am sure you are aware, your father was brilliant at the game," said Alexander. "The school trophy room has six Quidditch championship trophies with his name on it. Two of which while he was captain. I'm sure if it weren't for You-Know-Who, he probably would've gone professional. Anyways, if you're interested, I was wondering if you would want to try out for the team."

"Me?" asked Harry. "But I'm only a first year."

"I know," said Alexander. "And honestly, we normally don't ask first years to join the team. But the truth is… Well, we're desperate for a win. Hufflepuff hasn't won a game in over seventy years. However, if you have even half the talent that your father had, I'd be willing to ignore the fact that you're a first year."

Harry stared at Alexander for a moment.

"Tell me," Harry said. "Is this because I'm famous?"

Alexander seemed a little uncomfortable when Harry asked his question.

"Kind of," Alexander said. "But it's more to do with who your father was. Believe me, if I didn't know about how good he was, I don't think I would be asking."

Harry thought about it for a moment. He knew it was a possibility that people would treat him differently because he was famous. Still, it actually happening made him feel a little uncomfortable.

"I don't know," Harry finally said. "I really don't know a lot about the game and I've only been flying for less than a month."

Alexander and a few other students looked at Harry in surprise upon hearing that.

"I grew up with muggles in a muggle neighborhood," Harry said. "I only recently… Moved somewhere where I could use a broom without getting into trouble for it."

"Oh," said Alexander. "Are you any good?" he asked hopefully.

"Well, I can stay on without falling," Harry said.

"I see," said Alexander, picturing Harry flying like most first years in his head, not really knowing what they're doing. "Well… I guess then we'll have to find someone else during tryouts. Sorry to bother you."

"It's okay," Harry said, feeling a little bad as Alexander got up and returned back to where he had been sitting. During the summer when he was learning to fly and finding out how good he was, he would have done anything to play for a house team. But, for him to be on the team because of who he was wasn't something that he could feel good about. It wouldn't be fair to someone else in his house that was better.

Soon, dinner had vanished from the table, only to be replaced by an endless amount of desserts.

Harry helped himself to some treacle tart, while Neville scooped some ice cream into a bowl. Hermione, keeping to her parents rules of no sweets, picked some grapes from a bowl full of fruit.

Once everyone had eaten their full, the desserts vanished as well, and Dumbledore stood once again.

"Now that we are all fed and watered, I have a few announcements to make before we all go to bed," said Dumbledore. "To all first years, please take note that the Forbidden Forest, is in fact, forbidden, hence the name. Some of our older students would do well to remember this as well. Mr. Filch has asked me to remind you that no magic is to be used in the corridors and that he has also added to his list of banned items, which I believe is now over three thousand pages long and is hanging from his office door. This year, the third floor corridor on the right side is off limits to those who do not wish to die a most painful death. Now, off to bed with everyone. Classes start tomorrow and I am sure you all wish to be well rested in order to fill your heads with the wonders of magic."

Harry and the rest of the first year Hufflepuff's got up and followed the fifth year prefects as they led them out of the Great Hall and down a set of stairs and through a few winding corridors before they came to a dead end were there were a stack of barrels piled against the wall.

"This is the entrance to Hufflepuff house," said the female prefect. "Two from the bottom on the second row. All you need to do is tap it with your wand to the name of our founder Helga Hufflepuff, like so."

The witch pulled out her wand and _tap-tap, tap-tap-tap_.

As she finished, the lid of the barrel swung open, revealing the hidden entrance.

"Follow me," she said, leading the first years in to the Hufflepuff common room.

The basement common room was round with a low ceiling and smelled of earth. There were lots of yellow hangings on the wall as well as burnished copper and overstuffed sofas and armchairs upholstered in yellow and black, and circular windows that provided a view of the grounds of Hogwarts.

Professor Sprout, who was head of Hufflepuff, had placed various plants around the common room, some of which sung soft melodies that left those that heard it feeling quite peaceful.

Their was also a honey colored wooden mantelpiece that had badgers carved into it just below a large painting of Helga Hufflepuff herself, who smiled at the arriving students.

"This is the common room," the prefect said. "The plants have been provided by Professor Sprout in order to add her own personal touch to the room, including the cactus you see here, named Bob. You should also take note that the plants you see here are not in any of the greenhouses. Sort of like a special treat for just us. Your dorm rooms are two students per room, since we are down in the basement, we have more space than the Gryffindors and Ravenclaws that are in the towers and forced to be cramped together. Boys are on the left side and girls on the right. Boys, take note that the door to the girls' side is warded to prevent you from entering unless given permission from our head of house.

"Now, if you will wait here, Professor Sprout will be here shortly to have a few words with you before you are assigned to your rooms."

The prefect then turned and left through the door to the girls side, leaving the first years standing there while more and more of the older students started to arrive.

The first year 'Puffs only had to wait a few minutes before a dumpy sort of witch with flyaway hair came through the entrance.

"Ah, my new first years," she said happily. "Come, come. Let's sit down and get comfortable."

She led them over to a corner of the common room where they all sat down.

"I'm Professor Sprout," she said. "Your head of house, which basically means that I fill in as a sort of parental figure while you are here. I know for a lot of you, this will be your first time staying away from your families for extended periods of times, which can be a little scary for some. So, if you need to talk about anything, I am here for all my little badgers. For those of you that don't know, I am also the Herbology teacher here at Hogwarts, and as such, I expect you all to do very well in my class. If you look around, you'll notice that I've planted some special plants around the common room. This one here for example."

Sprout indicated a purple and teal colored flower behind her.

"These are Nightbird flowers," said Sprout. "When the sun sets, they let out a near subsonic melody that brain subliminally detects, and as the night goes on, it becomes stronger. I planted these here to help you all sleep at night when you go to bed. Ask any of the older students and they will tell you that they never had a bad night sleep here."

Hermione raised her hand.

"Yes, miss…" Sprout said.

"Hermione Granger," Hermione said.

"Miss Granger, you have a question?" asked Professor Sprout.

"How do they work?" asked Hermione. "I mean, I can kind of hear the music right now, but I do not feel sleepy."

"That's because you are not ready for bed," said Professor Sprout. "As I said, the flowers work on a subconscious level. However, it does not affect your regular consciousness. Since right now, you wish to remain awake, you will do so. However, if one of you were to want to go to sleep right now, the power of the song will increase that feeling, allowing you to fall asleep much faster than normal."

"So, it has no power over us unless we allow it?" asked Hermione and Professor Sprout smiled and nodded.

"Very good, Miss Granger," said Professor Sprout. "If this were class, I would award you points. Yes, the flower has no power over anyone unless they allow it, much like magic. Magic only has as much power as you give it. However, that is a lesson for class itself. Now, it is getting late and you all need sleep. So, if there are no more questions, I will assign you your rooms."

Professor Sprout reached into her robes and pulled out a crumpled and slightly dirty sheet of parchment.

"Miss Abbot and Miss Bones, you two will share a room," said Professor Sprout. "Miss Granger and Miss Jones, you two will be in the room across from them. Unfortunately, we have an uneven number of boys, so one of you will be having your own room. Mr. Finch-Fletchley, you will be with Mr. Macmillan. Mr. Longbottom, you will be with Mr. Potter. And Mr. Hopkins, you will have a room all to yourself."

Harry was a little surprised by this. When Professor Sprout has said that one of the boys would be getting their own room, he had expected her to try and give him special treatment because of who he was. Instead, she gave it to someone else and treated him just like a normal student. His respect for her had gone up with that one decision.

"Alright," Professor Sprout said. "Off to bed with all of you. Tomorrow when you get up, you will find that your school robes have been altered with the yellow trim associated with our house, as well as find a nice wool scarf of yellow and black, which will come in handy during the winter as it does get quite cold outside."

They all said good night to each other and their head of house before heading off to their new bedrooms.

When Harry and Neville arrived in their room, they looked around and noticed how cozy it was. There were two four poster beds in the room, one along each wall, and in between the beds was a heater to keep the chill away. Each of the beds were covered with patchwork quilts and at the foot of each bed were their trunks.

"Our stuff is already here?" Neville said, surprised.

"Now that's what I call service," said Harry.

The two of them quickly changed for bed, feeling the effects of the Nightbird flower as they did, and within moments of their heads resting on their pillows, they were asleep.

OoOoOoOoOoO

"Shoot," Harry said the following morning as he and Neville were putting their robes on.

"What?" asked Neville.

"I forgot to write my family last night," said Harry. "I was supposed to send them a letter to tell them which house I was sorted in and everything."

"Why don't you write it at breakfast," suggested Neville. "Then, if we have time before class starts, we can send it. And if not, we'll make a quick trip to the owlery right before we have lunch."

"I guess that's all I can do," said Harry, feeling bad that he had forgotten to send the letter the night before.

Since neither of them knew which classes they had that day, they both decided it would be best to just take all of their books with them to breakfast and headed off towards the Great Hall.

OoOoOoOoOoO

"I think I'm going to be sick," Harry heard someone up ahead say as they neared the Great Hall.

It was Hermione.

"What is it?" asked Harry.

"That," said Hermione, pointing at the Gryffindor table.

Harry and Neville followed her finger and saw the red headed boy from the train sitting alone as he shoveled food into his mouth in a way that would make Harry's uncle and cousin envious that they could not do the same.

"How can someone eat like that?" asked Neville.

"How is he not choking?" asked Harry as he watched the boy swallow three whole sausages without chewing.

"He eats like a duck," said Hermione, earning her a questioning look from both Harry and Neville. "Ducks don't chew," she said.

"Weird," said Harry.

"You don't have to call me names," Hermione suddenly snapped at him, causing Harry to take a step back.

"What?" Harry asked, confused. "I didn't call you any names."

"Yes you did," said Hermione. "You just did."

"No, I didn't," said Harry.

"You called me weird," said Hermione.

"I didn't call you weird," said Harry. "I meant that that bit of information was weird. I never knew ducks didn't chew."

"Oh," Hermione said, looking down as she blushed in embarrassment. "I'm… I'm sorry. I just… Kids at school used to make fun of me all the time because I like to learn and know things, and because of it I never really had any friends. When you said that, I… I thought you were doing the same."

Harry felt bad for the bushy haired witch. He knew what it was like to be picked on and to not have any friends from his time with the Dursley's.

"Hermione," Harry said softly. "I truly am sorry. I didn't mean for you to take what I said as a way to make fun of you. As for those kids you used to go to school with and didn't want to be your friend… That's their loss. I've only known you since yesterday and I can already tell you'll be a great friend."

Hermione looked up at Harry in surprise.

"You want to be my friend?" she asked, a slight quiver in her voice.

"Only if you want to be mine," said Harry.

Hermione smiled at Harry and gave him a huge hug. Harry froze up for a moment, still not completely used to things like hugs, which Hermione noticed but decided not to mention it for fear of jeopardizing her first friendship.

"W-w-what about me?" Neville asked quietly.

Harry and Hermione both looked at Neville.

"Of course we'll be friends," Hermione said.

"I already told you on the train yesterday that we would be," said Harry.

"Oh yeah," said Neville, who had forgotten that part of the conversation, as he had still been in a bit of shock that he was sitting with Harry Potter.

"Now that our being friends is official," Harry said. "Let's go eat."

"Facing away from… That," Hermione said, indicating the red headed Gryffindor, who was still stuffing his face.

Up at the head table, Dumbledore smiled as he watched Harry, Neville, and Hermione walk over to their house table and start breakfast, humming a cheery tune.

"Knut for your thoughts?" McGonagall asked, hearing the Headmaster begin to hum.

"Oh, nothing," Dumbledore said with a twinkle in his eye. "I just find that today is looking to be the beginning of a very good school year."

OoOoOoOoOoO

As Harry ate breakfast, he was also writing a letter to the Tonks' to let them know how things had been so far. He told them about his trip on the train and how he had made two new friends and how they had been lucky to be sorted into the same house as him. He knew Tonks would be thrilled to find out that he had been sorted into her old house. He could picture her jumping for joy and ending up falling down in the process.

When Harry got to the part about the speech that Professor Dumbledore had given after dinner, he wondered if he should tell them about the third floor being off limits. It took him a few minutes as he thought about it. It did seem strange to him. Especially the part about a painful death to those that went there. He began to wonder if it was normal for part of the castle to contain something dangerous to the students. The Forbidden Forest was one thing. Harry had read about it in _Hogwarts, A History_ and learned that the forest, while technically a part of Hogwarts, was considered by some to be centaur territory, and that they did not take kindly to people walking through their land like they owned the place. But the corridor inside the castle seemed off to him for some reason.

Eventually, Harry decided that they should know about it. When they took him in to live with them and to be a part of their family, they also chose to look out for him. If whatever was in the castle was dangerous enough to warn students that they might die if they face it, then they needed to know and maybe find out what was going on.

"What time is it?" Harry asked as he finished his letter and signed it.

"Ten to eight," Hermione said as she checked her watch.

"Guess I'll have to wait till lunch to send this to my family," Harry said, holding up the now sealed letter.

Just then, a snowy white owl came swooping down from seemingly out of nowhere and landed gracefully in front of Harry.

"Hedwig?" Harry asked, a little surprised at seeing his owl.

Hoot.

"Smart owl you got there Potter," an older Hufflepuff said as they passed by. "Very few owls are in tune enough with their owners to know when they are needed."

"Y-yeah," Harry said, a little stunned. "Um… Can you take this for me?"

Hedwig looked at Harry like he had just asked a very stupid question, which in fact, to the owl, it had been.

Hoot.

She held out her leg to him.

"I, uh… I'll take that as a yes," said Harry as he gently tied his letter to Hedwig's leg. "Thanks."

Hoot.

Hedwig spread her wings and took off into the air, flying up and out through the windows high above that were always open for the owls.

"We should probably get going to class, otherwise we'll be late," Hermione said.

Harry and Neville both agreed as they got up and started to leave.

During breakfast, Professor Sprout had given each of them their class schedules for the year. After checking to see what they had first, the three of them headed for their very first lesson. History of Magic.

OoOoOoOoOoO

Hermione looked slightly annoyed as she, Harry, and Neville left their first History of Magic class with both boys letting out deep, loud yawns.

"I cannot believe you two," Hermione said. "Falling asleep in class."

"I didn't want to," said Harry, yawning again. "It's just that Professor Binns voice kept droning on and on. It was hypnotic. Anyways, we're not the only ones that fell asleep."

Harry pointed at a few of the other Hufflepuffs and a couple Ravenclaws that had been in class and fallen asleep as well.

"That's no excuse," said Hermione. "We're here to learn. How do you expect to do that if you're asleep?"

"Re-read the section of the book we covered in class while doing homework?" asked Neville, who only managed to stay awake for about ten seconds before Binns' voice sent him off to dreamland.

Hermione thought it over for a moment. "Fine," she finally said. "But from now on, try and stay awake in the class, because if you keep doing it and fall behind, I might not be nice and help you catch up. Now come on. We have less than ten minutes to Charms."

As the three friends made their way through the castle hallways and up the Grand Staircase towards the charms classroom, Hermione briefly went over what they had learned in History of Magic. Well, Hermione's version of brief, which was an almost fully detailed account of the entire lesson.

However, as they walked and she talked, Harry's attention kept slipping as he noticed that a lot of the students were trying to be subtle about staring at him as he walked by and having hushed conversations while pointing at him. Once or twice, he even spotted the same person walk by them, as though they had doubled back to take a second look at him.

Harry sighed and shook his head as he wondered if he would ever get over the strangeness of being famous.

Their charms class was more interesting than History of Magic, which meant that everyone stayed awake during the class. As the class started, Harry blushed and tried to sink down in his seat when the small Professor Flitwick squeaked when he reached Harry's name on the role sheet.

"Alright," Professor Flitwick said when he had finished taking role and climbed atop a pile of books so he could see the entire class. "Welcome to charms. This will be one of your more important classes as charms covers everything from simple everyday spells to wards to bringing objects to life. That last one if very fun, and believe me when I say that it can be quite useful when casting a spell on the dishes to wash and dry themselves. And unlike transfiguration, where perfection is the key to getting it right, with charms, you have much more leeway with creativity."

Harry smiled as he heard that. During his years with the Dursley's, they never allowed him to be creative. Doing so would be doing something different, and that was against their rules. He didn't even really do it once he started living with the Tonks' since he spent most of his time either getting over what happened to him at his relatives, learning about the magical world, and learning to fly his broom. However, now that he knew that creativity was a key to magic, he would be sure to do so. Maybe even get a small notebook to fill with ideas he would want to try.

After Professor Flitwick explained all of the wonders that charms could do, he then instructed the class to read the first chapter of _Magical Theory_ _by Adalbert Waffling_.

Most of the class was disappointed that by the time class ended, they didn't get to cast a single spell. Harry and Hermione didn't care though, as they started discussing all the different ideas of what they could use magic to do while Neville just listened quietly.

As they talked, Hermione was glad that she not only had a friend for the first time in her life, but that Harry was actually reciprocating in their conversation. It was a breath of fresh air to the bushy haired girl to have a discussion with someone that was her own age instead of her parents or a teacher.

The three friends came to a stop when they reached the end of the hallway and found their path blocked by a locked door.

"That's odd," Hermione said. "I could have sworn that this way led to the stairs."

Just as Harry started to reach for the handle of the locked door, a voice startled them from behind.

"WHAT DO YOU LOT THINK YOU ARE DOING!"

The three first years nearly jumped out of their skin as they turned around and spotted the caretaker, Mr. Filch, heading towards them with his cat, Mrs. Norris right beside him.

"What are you doing here?" Filch demanded, giving the three students the stink eye.

"We're trying to find the stairs," Harry said.

"Yeah, right," said Filch. "Troublemakers if I ever saw one. Trying to get into the third floor corridor that's been locked off, aren't yeh?"

"What?" Hermione said in surprise. "No, of course not. We must have taken a wrong turn is all. We would never…"

"A likely story," said Filch, waving off her excuse. "Well, we'll just see what your head of house thinks about you breaking the rules. Follow me."

Filch turned around and started walking while Harry, Neville, and Hermione stood there in shock. Mrs. Norris, moved behind the three of them before she hissed and swiped her claw at Neville, causing him to cry out in surprise before running to catch up to Filch with Harry and Hermione close behind him as neither wanted to end up being used as a scratching post for the caretakers mangy looking cat.

Filch found Professor Sprout in the Great Hall, eating her lunch while having a conversation with Professor McGonagall.

"Professors," Filch said before looking right at Sprout. "I found this lot trying to break into the third floor corridor that's been closed off."

"Is this true?" she asked, looking at the three students.

"No," said Harry.

"Honestly, we didn't," said Hermione. "We just got lost after leaving charms and ended up there."

Down the table, Snape scoffed and quickly hid it when McGonagall looked in his direction.

"I believe you," Professor Sprout said, who then turned look at Filch who was about to protest. "Mr. Filch, they are first years on their first full day in the castle. And while you have many years under your belt in being here and know this castle forwards and backwards, they do not. It is quite believable that they took a wrong turn and got lost.

Professor Sprout then turned back to look at the three first years from her house. "However," she said. "If I hear that either of you is caught there again, I will assign you detention. Is that understood?"

"Yes," Hermione said while Harry and Neville only nodded.

"Very good," Professor Sprout said with a smile. "Now go ahead and enjoy your lunch. I believe your class right after is a double period with me."

The three of them quickly headed for the Hufflepuff table and sat down to eat, however Harry wasn't much interested in his food. His mind was now focused on that locked door.

After lunch, the three of them left the Great Hall and made their way towards Greenhouse One for their first Herbology lesson. However, Professor Sprout wasn't there yet, and so they had to wait outside with the rest of the class.

"You're Harry Potter," someone said.

Harry turned around and saw the blond boy he had seen on the train standing there, his two ape like friends standing behind him like hulking bodyguards.

"I'm Malfoy," the blond said. "Draco Malfoy. I'm sure you've heard of my family."

"Can't say that I have," said Harry. He already held a bit of dislike for the boy after the way he had treated Neville on the train.

"You haven't?" asked Draco, truly sounding surprised. "What sort of riff raff have you been associating yourself with?" He then looked at Neville. "Oh… Of course. You should learn Potter that some wizarding families are greater than others. I can help you there."

Draco then extended his hand towards Harry, who just looked at it for a moment.

"That's alright," said Harry. "I can figure out my own friends for myself."

Draco lowered his hand and sneered.

"You dare to insult the Malfoy name?" asked Draco. "Just wait until I tell my father about this. He's a very important man. Has the ear of the Minister for Magic and everything."

Harry was instantly reminded of his cousin and how he would brag to his friends about how important Uncle Vernon was. It didn't help to endear the blond to him one bit. However, before he could say anything, Professor Sprout arrived and ushered the students into the greenhouse.

"Welcome to Greenhouse One," Professor Sprout said. "As first year students, you won't be handling many plants, and the ones that you do are mostly harmless and you will spend your time learning how to prune them properly as they are plants used as potion ingredients. However, before we begin any of that, we shall be discussing the differences in magical properties of dragon dung from different breeds of dragons. I hope you all remembered your gloves, because this is going to be a very hands on lesson."

OoOoOoOoOoO

"I need a shower," Hermione said as she, Harry, and Neville entered the Hufflepuff common room shortly after their Herbology lesson had ended. It wasn't just the smell of the dragon dung that needed to be washed away, but also the smell of vomit, which many students had produced after Professor Sprout told them to take a good whiff of the different fragrances each dragon produced.

"Same here," Harry said.

"Me too," said Neville.

After showering and changing into clean smelling robes, the three friends decided to sit in the common room and start on their assignments since they still had nearly an hour before dinner.

Hermione instantly went to work on her History of Magic essay while both Harry and Neville still had to read what had been discussed in class.

"I don't get it," Harry said after reading a few pages.

"What don't you get?" asked Hermione, as she continued to write her essay.

"I don't get how someone can make a goblin war so boring that I fell asleep," said Harry. "This is so much better than the Battle of the Five Armies at the Lonely Mountain."

Hermione looked up at Harry in surprise.

"You've read The Hobbit?" she asked, a little surprise. When she went to a muggle school, very few kids read anything beyond what had been assigned by the teacher, and even then, a few didn't even bother with that.

"Yes," said Harry. "It was the only… It's my favorite book."

"What's a Hobbit?" asked Neville.

"They're a fictional race of little people that live in the ground," said Hermione. "The Hobbit is a book about one of them that goes on an adventure with a wizard and a group of dwarves to defeat a dragon and get its treasure."

"I have a copy of it in my trunk," said Harry. "Remind me later and I'll let you borrow it."

OoOoOoOoOoO

Later, as the three Hufflepuff's joined the rest of the school for dinner, Hedwig was arriving at her destination.

"Hey girl," Tonks said when she spotted the snowy white owl glide in through the open kitchen window and land on the table. "Is that from Harry?"

Hoot.

Hedwig held out her leg, allowing Tonks to remove the letter before the metamorphmagus gave her a few owl treats.

"Alright," Tonks said to herself. "Let's see how things are going… Doing well… Train ride… Friends… Ah, here we are. Sorting hat."

Tonks read silently as a huge smile spread across her face.

In the sitting room, Ted and Andromeda were listening to The Adventures of Young Merlin, a very popular radio play on the WWN, when they heard their daughter start shouting and whooping from the kitchen.

"What in the name of Morgana is going on in here?" Andromeda asked as she walked into the kitchen, a slight scowl on her face.

"Hufflepuff," Tonks said as she handed her mother the letter from Harry before continuing to dance around the kitchen and singing, "Harry got into Hufflepuff. Harry got into Hufflepuff."

"While that is all well and good, that is no reason to nearly give me a heart attack," Andromeda chastised her daughter, who suddenly tripped on the rug in front of the sink.

"Ow," Tonks said from the floor.

Andromeda shook her head as she walked back into the sitting room, wondering just how her daughter would be able to be an auror being as clumsy as she was.

"Everything alright?" Ted asked.

"Fine," Andromeda said. "Harry's letter arrived and Nymphadora was just excited that he had been sorted into her old house."

"Good for him," Ted said with a smile. "Being in Hufflepuff will help him find some good friends."

"Seems he already has," Andromeda said as she looked at the letter. "During the train ride, and… Well, that's interesting."

"What is?" asked Ted.

"One of them is Neville Longbottom," said Andromeda.

"Really?" asked Ted and his wife nodded. "The Longbottom's and the Potter's have been friends and allies for hundreds of years. Even after both children lose their parents in some fashion and have no contact with each other, the two of them still form a friendship on the day they meet."

Even though Ted was muggleborn, Andromeda was a pureblood, and had taught him a few things about the alliances between some of the older pureblood families. She had done it when they had first started dating in the hopes that her family would be more accepting of her dating a muggleborn if he had shown some competence in how pureblood society worked. Instead, they told her to end her relationship with him or be banished from the family for life. Ten minutes later, her bags were packed and she moved in with Ted, only to marry him a few months later.

"What else does his letter say?" asked Ted.

"He was sorted into Hufflepuff, which we already know," Andromeda said. "Huh…"

"What is it?" he asked, seeing the concerned look on his wife's face.

"When Albus gave his speech after dinner, he warned the students to stay away from a certain part of the castle unless they wished to die a most horrible death," Andromeda said.

"What?" asked Ted, the surprise evident in his voice. "Why?"

"It doesn't say," Andromeda said as she lowered the letter. "But I am going to find out."

Andromeda stood up and walked over to the desk in the corner of the room, where she sat down and pulled out a clean sheet of parchment.

"What are you doing?" asked Ted.

"Sending Albus a letter to inform him that I will be by tomorrow afternoon to find out what is going on," said Andromeda as she wrote the letter.

"But why?" asked Ted as he stood up and walked over to his wife. "I'm sure he has a good reason for whatever is going on."

"And I will find out what it is," said Andromeda as she looked up at her husband. "I swore to myself that when we took Harry in, I would do everything I could to keep him safe. Now, I know things may happen. He is a young boy after all. But if there is something dangerous in the castle, I at least want to be kept notified about it. Not only for Harry's safety, but my peace of mind as well."

Ted knew that his wife was right. He also felt the same way. Now that he had heard what Harry said in his letter, he wouldn't rest comfortably until he knew what was going on.

OoOoOoOoOoO

**A/N:** Sorry for the lateness of this chapter. I meant to have it up a while ago, however I found myself sucked into Pottermore after it launched and spent countless days playing around with the site. I have to say, I love the artwork that goes with each scene they depict in each chapter.

Though, some good news has come from my spending so much time there. It's helped me with my story. When I was sorted, I was sorted into Hufflepuff (YAY!), and I was able to use the new information I learned about my house in this story. Those of you sorted into the house of the badger will notice some of the information I used. For those that weren't, yes, we do have a cactus in our common room named Bob.

Also, to head off some of the backlash I am sure to get from this chapter about Harry passing over the chance to play Quidditch for his house team, please just wait. He will be playing this year, but he will be trying out like everyone else. The Harry in my story not only doesn't like being treated different because of who he is, he also tries his best to make sure other people treat him like everyone else. As for what position he will play… He may be a Seeker, or he might be a Beater. You'll just have to wait and see.

And lastly, back to Pottermore. If you want to add me as a friend on that site, just go to my profile here on FF and you can get my user name and send me a friend invite over there. It doesn't matter what house you're in. I accept them all.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five – Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble**

The day was not going the way Dumbledore had expected it to.

When he had first woken up that morning, everything had been going quite well. Great, in fact. He had slept well the night before and the house elves had managed to get the chocolate stain out of his favorite robes, which he decided to wear that day.

It was shortly after breakfast when things started to go wrong as the first of many owls started to arrive from the parents of students with letters and Howlers demanding to know why something dangerous and threatening to the lives of their children was being kept in the castle. A few of them even mentioned going to the Board of Governors if he didn't handle the situation right away.

Just as the fifteenth Howler finished shouting at him and ripping itself into hundreds of little pieces, the wards at the gargoyle entrance to his office alerted him that he had a visitor.

Dumbledore let out a groan when he discovered that it was Andromeda Tonks, before he tapped a rune hidden under his desk to allow her entry.

"Albus," Andromeda said as she walked into the office, projecting an air of confidence. She might have been banished from the Black family, but her years away from the pureblood life did nothing to diminish the years of training she had received on how to act. "I hope you have a good explanation for me as to why you have told your students that they could die if they visit a certain part of the castle?"

"Andromeda, how nice to see you," Dumbledore said, though at the moment, he didn't feel it. "Would you care for a lemon drop?"

He lifted the lid on a small candy dish and offered it to her.

"I would rather have you answer my question," she said, not allowing him to sidetrack her as she sat down.

"Yes, well… You see, a friend of mine asked me to keep something of his safe," Dumbledore said. "He was afraid that someone might try and steal it from him, and so knowing how safe Hogwarts is, came to me."

"And?"

"And I said yes, and placed various security measures around it for its protection," said Dumbledore.

"Measures that just so happen to be dangerous to the students," Andromeda said. "Dangerous to Harry."

"Only if they manage to get passed the locked door," Dumbledore said, thinking that his answer would calm the woman.

"A locked door?" she said and Dumbledore nodded. "A locked door that can be unlocked by a simple unlocking spell. A spell that is taught to first year students."

Dumbledore paled slightly. He had forgotten that Filius included the _Alohomora_ charm in his first year curriculum.

"Andromeda, you must understand, the protection of this item is very important," Dumbledore said. "Someone had already attempted to steal it over the summer."

"You are referring to the break in at Gringotts," Andromeda said, remembering the article in the Daily Prophet just shortly after Harry came to lie with her and her family.

"I am," Dumbledore said. "Which is supposed to be an impossible feat, yet they managed to get to the vault, get it open, and then out of the bank before the goblins knew what was happening. The only place where it can be safe is here at Hogwarts."

"Then place it within the Headmaster's vault," Andromeda said.

"The what?" Dumbledore said as he shifted nervously in his seat.

"Do not play dumb with me Albus," Andromeda said. "You forget that my great, great grandfather, Phineas Black, once held your position. As also the head of the House of Black, he left a detailed journal of his times here where he mentioned the Headmasters Vault. Isn't that right?"

"Indeed it is," the painting of Phineas Black answered as he woke up from his pretend sleep, while he eavesdropped on the conversation, as the paintings of former Headmasters and Headmistresses tended to do.

Dumbledore let out a quiet sigh as the woman before him continued to put holes into his plan to expose that Voldemort was still alive. As he looked at the pile of letters on his desk and as three more owls flew in through the open window and delivering even more of them, he knew he would have to move the stone to a more secure location.

"Very well," Dumbledore said. "I will move the object to the Headmasters Vault and clear out the traps I had placed to guard it."

OoOoOoOoOoO

That night as everyone was in the Great Hall, enjoying their dinner and conversations, Dumbledore stood up and cleared his throat, earning the attention of everyone in the room as they quieted down.

"It has recently been brought to my attention that closing off the third floor corridor was a mistake," Dumbledore said. "So it pleases me to inform all of you that by the end of the week, it shall be opened once again and the threat of what was there will be gone. I am sure some of you will be curious as to what is there, but I assure those of you that will go and investigate will find nothing but empty classrooms."

As Dumbledore sat down, the hall exploded in conversation as everyone began to wonder just what had been in that corridor.

"It was probably nothing," a fourth year Hufflepuff said a little bit down from where Harry and his friends sat. "It was probably just Snape and Madam Pomfrey brewing potions for the hospital wing this year and they ended up taking longer than expected, so they made up some story about the area being dangerous to us students so we didn't go there and accidentally ruin any of the potions."

Meanwhile, all of the professors began to question Dumbledore's sudden change in his plans on where to keep the stone, especially since some of them had put in a good bit of hard work on the obstacles to prevent anyone from getting to the mysterious package he had placed there.

"Please, please," Dumbledore said to the members of his staff as he held up his hands for them to be quiet. He then pulled out his wand and cast a silencing charm around the table so they couldn't be overheard by the students.

"The backlash from the parents was unexpected," Dumbledore said. "I did not think before hand as to the parental response to having such dangerous things inside the castle. A foolish mistake that we can chalk up to old age. It was also the parent of one student that reminded me of a much more secure hiding place for the object in question."

"Where?" asked Snape.

"The Headmaster's Vault," answered Dumbledore. "Which only the current headmaster has access to."

OoOoOoOoOoO

To say that Quirinus Quirrell was upset when he returned to his private quarters following dinner would be an understatement. It had taken every ounce of his self control not to pull his wand and curse the old bastard where he sat.

He had been so close to discovering all of the obstacles protecting the stone. Sprout had been more than willing to toot her own horn about the devil's snare, and that disgusting half bread goblin Flitwick was quite pleased to tell him in great detail how he had charmed the room full of flying keys. It was obvious that Snape would be using some kind of potion, and he of course already knew about the trolls he had placed down there. All that had remained was McGonagall and Hagrid and then the stone would have been his.

But now, that was all for naught since the stone was now tucked away in a place where he had no chance of getting it.

"Do you think so little of me?" came the voice of his master inside of his mind.

"No, my lord," said Quirrell as he dropped to his knees. A pointless gesture since his master shared his body with him, but still required as his master could cause his body endless amounts of pain with just a simple thought.

"Then tell me why you believe the stone to be beyond my reach?" asked the voice of Voldemort.

"Because of where the headmaster has placed it," said Quirrell. "There is no way for me to get it."

"The same was once said about the vaults in Gringotts and I proved the world wrong," said Voldemort. "And I shall prove Dumbledore wrong on this as well."

Voldemort then explained his plan to Quirrell, who could not help but admit the pure brilliance about it.

OoOoOoOoOoO

Harry set his cauldron down on the table as he sat down between Neville and Hermione for their first potions class on Thursday afternoon. He had just pulled out his potions book when the door burst open and a man with flowing black robes walked into the dungeon classroom, and spun around, causing his robes to swish as he faced the class.

Snape scanned the faces of the students with a cold gaze, stopping momentarily when he saw the face of James looking up at him with the eyes of Lily. Memories of the his years as a student flashed in his mind as he remembered the countless times he had been made to look like a fool and the day his heart had been broken. A slight sneer crossed his face before he continued to look at the rest of the students before proceeding to call of names from the list of students before he came to Harry's name.

"Ahhh, Mr. Potter," said Snape. "Our new… Celebrity."

Snape then continued reading off the names from the list before he stood before the class.

"Let us see just how much my time you all shall be wasting," said Snape. "Who of you will tell me where to find a Bezoar?"

Hermione's hand shot up into the air.

"Mr. Potter?" said Snape.

Harry was momentarily surprised. Not only had he not raised his hand, but Hermione did. By the time he realized that he should answer the question, Snape had decided that Harry didn't know.

"No? Well, then who can tell me at least three uses of moonstone?" asked Snape as he looked around the room.

Once again, Hermione's hand went up, this time she waved it around in the hopes that Snape would notice her.

"Mr. Potter?"

"I don't know sir," Harry said a little confused. He had read all of his first year potions book and there was no mention of moonstones in it.

"It seems fame isn't everything," Snape said. "Tell me Potter, do you know how to tie your own shoes, or is that beyond your basic limited knowledge as well?"

All of the first Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws stared at Snape in shock at his obvious and unwarranted insult against a student. However, to even more surprise was Harry's response.

"Depends," said Harry. "Is washing your hair beyond your knowledge or is it purposefully greasier than a fast food deep fryer?"

Snape sneered at Harry as his suspicions were confirmed. The boy was just like his father.

"Twenty points from Hufflepuff for your cheek," said Snape. "Now, today's lesson is on the board." He flicked his wand and a piece of chalk started to write out the directions of the day's potion. "Try and surprise me by not making complete and utter fools of yourself by messing it up."

Snape then started to pair everyone into groups and Neville and Harry were paired up together while Hermione was paired up with Justin.

Throughout the class, Snape would stalk between the tables and look into the cauldrons before either chastising someone for doing something wrong or just glaring when they were doing something right, annoyed that he couldn't humiliate them in front of their peers.

It was around the halfway point of the class just after Snape had glared at their cauldron when Harry and Neville's potion started to bubble and billow a thick teal colored smoke.

"That's not right, is it?" asked Harry as he glanced from the cauldron up to the black board with the instructions.

"Did we do something wrong?" asked Neville as he tried to think back over everything they had done.

"I don't think so," said Harry. "We've followed the directions perfectly so far."

Suddenly, the cauldron started to shake as the liquid inside started to boil over.

"LOOK OUT!" Harry shouted as he dropped under the table, pulling Neville and Hermione with him just before the cauldron exploded, spewing nasty smelling liquid all over the room and some of the unlucky students who weren't quick enough to react to Harry's warning.

Harry climbed out from under the table just in time to see Snape drop a magical shield he had conjured in front of himself.

"Potter," he snapped. "What did you do?"

"Nothing…" Harry started to say.

"Do not lie to me," said Snape as he stormed over and inspected what remained of the smoking cauldron. He then waved his wand over the mess and looked at Harry. "Tell me, why did you add powdered worm brains when it is not even listed in the materials needed?"

"I didn't," said Harry, who then looked at Neville to make sure his friend didn't and Neville shook his head no. "We didn't. We followed the directions exactly."

"What remains of your potion and cauldron tell me otherwise," said Snape. "That will be an additional thirty points from Hufflepuff for lying to me, plus ten more for not following directions."

"But…" Harry started to say, but stopped when Hermione grabbed his arm and shook her head.

Snape looked at the mess in his classroom and the students covered with the disastrous potion.

"The rest of class is dismissed for today," said Snape. "We will try this again next time. Those of you that are covered in this failed potion, head to the hospital wing. I do not wish to be blamed for any of you being harmed due to Mr. Potter and Mr. Longbottom's negligence."

Snape returned to the front of the room and watched as everyone quickly packed up their belongings and left the room, listening the entire time as both Harry and Neville continued to claim they didn't mess up their work and had no idea how it happened.

Once the last student left, Snape moved over to the cabinet full of potion ingredients and pulled a vial marked 'powdered worm brains' from inside his robe and placed it back into its spot as he smiled to himself and enjoyed the moment of pleasure he received for making the son of his greatest enemy pay for what he and his band of misfit friends did to him when they were students.

OoOoOoOoOoO

Harry was silent as he, Neville, and Hermione made their way back to the Hufflepuff common room, despite Hermione's attempts to talk to him.

"Harry, why won't you talk to me?" Hermione asked as Harry headed towards the door that lead to the boy's dormitories.

"Because," Harry said as he stopped and look at her. "Right now I'm mad and I don't want to stupidly take out my anger on you or anyone else that doesn't deserve it. So please… Just leave me alone right now."

He then walked through the door, slamming it behind him as he left.

Once in his room, Harry tossed his backpack against the wall and heard a shattering sound come from it.

With a heavy sigh, he closed his eyes and lowered his head.

"Damn it," he whispered to himself before turning to his backpack and seeing the pool of ink leaking out of it and wondering if his day could get any worse than it already was.

Harry fell back onto his bed and pulled his pillow over his face, which he screamed into just as Neville walked into the room.

"You okay?" Neville nervously asked his best friend.

"No," Harry said as he took the pillow away from his face and then sat up. "I just don't get it… I was so careful with that potion. Followed the directions perfectly. How could it have gone wrong like that?"

"I don't know," said Neville as he sat on the edge of his bed. "I've never been much with potions when my Gran made me help her at home while growing up. The only thing I was ever good at was working with the plants in the greenhouse."

"During the summer when I first learned about potions from Madam Pomfrey, I told myself I would be careful, and what happens? My first time brewing a potion and it explodes."

"Maybe one of the ingredients we used was tainted somehow," offered Neville.

"Is that possible?" asked Harry.

"It's rare, but it does occasionally happen now and then," said Neville. "I remember a few years ago there was a story in the Prophet about a bad batch of bat livers that was sold to St. Mungo's, and their entire stock of blood replenishing potion went bad."

Harry nodded a bit as he thought about what Neville said could be possible. However, a small part of him was nagging him that there was something else involved with his potion going wrong.

"I guess I better write home and ask Ted and Andromeda to send me a new batch of potion supplies," said Harry. "Just in case."

He then looked at the mess that was inside his backpack.

"That is after I find a clean sheet of parchment."

OoOoOoOoOoO

**A/N:** _Sorry for such a long delay in posting this chapter. I hit a huge wall made up of that dreaded beast known as 'Writer's Block' a few times while writing. Then came the challenge of how to portray Snape. I wrote so many different versions of the first potions lesson. One where Snape was good. One were Snape was an ass. One where Snape evil. One where Snape flat out attacked Harry the moment he saw him because Quirrell placed him under the Imperious curse. I even wrote one which hinted at a whole new set of Horcrux's in which Snape had one that was a pocket watch that Voldemort gave him to protect after he told him about the prophecy and so the evil bit of soul in the pocket watch was going to slowly drive Snape insane._

_In the end, I went the simple route by having Snape just be his usual jerk self towards Harry, but having to do certain things himself since he didn't have Draco to rely on since they don't share the class together._

_I've already started the next chapter, though I'm not sure when I'll have it finished. It's the broom flying lesson and I have this idea for something really cool to happen during it, but having trouble getting it to come out right. I promise to get it done and out for you all to read just as soon as I can._

_Till then… Enjoy._


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six – Look, Up In The Sky…**

Life quickly settled into a routine for the three new friends after the first couple of weeks had passed by. They would go to classes, have their meals, study and do their homework, with the occasional moments of free time sprinkled in to keep from overloading. At first it took Harry a bit of convincing to get Hermione to put down one of the many books she usually checked out of the library or going over her copious amount of notes she had taken in order to relax.

"You'll burn yourself out Hermione, if you keep going like that for the next seven years," Harry had said to her. "I heard one of the older students talking about how a few years ago a student did nothing but study and review all the time."

"And?" asked Hermione. "What's wrong with that? I bet they got high marks."

"They were admitted to St. Mungo's, a magical hospital," said Harry. "Apparently, they studied so much, they snapped. Even tried to curse someone for asking to borrow a book."

Hermione had stared at Harry with wide eyes for a moment before she closed the book in her lap and said that a short break sounded like a good idea.

It was on the third Saturday of September that most of the first years woke up excited. For it was today they would be taking flying lessons.

Ever since the lessons had been announced, things had been interesting around the castle as various first years from wizarding families had started boasting about all the amazing events that had happened to them while flying a broom.

Harry scoffed when he had overheard Draco brag that he had been chased by a muggle helicopter while they shot their barbaric weapons at him over London.

Though, the worst tall tale came from Ron Weasley, who said that one night he took his older brother Charlie's broom and flew to the moon and back.

"And how exactly did you breath?" Hermione asked when she had heard this.

"Um… Like I normally do," said Ron.

"That's interesting, since there is no oxygen in space," Hermione said as Ron started to turn red in embarrassment. "If you had in fact, flew a broom to the moon, you would have died the moment you left the atmosphere."

"Atmos-what?" asked a confused Ron, as Harry, Hermione, and Neville walked away, shaking their heads.

"So, looking forward to learning how to fly?" Harry asked in the common room when he saw Hermione walk out from the door leading to the girl's dorms.

"Not particularly," she said as she, Harry, and Neville left through the barrel.

"Me either," said Neville.

"Oh, come on you two," said Harry with a grin. "It's fun. It's like riding a bike… I think. I never rode a bike before. Whatever, doesn't matter. It's easy. I got the hang of it in less than a day when I started this summer."

"It may be like riding a bike," said Hermione. "But bikes don't fly high up in the air."

"Actually, I think they can," Harry said, suddenly remembering a dream he had had while still living with the Dursley's about a flying motorcycle. Looking back on that dream with the knowledge he now had of the wizarding world, he wondered if it might have been a repressed memory from when he was a baby.

"I'm not looking forward to it either," said Neville. "I heard the school brooms are older than Professor Dumbledore and the magic in them has started to go weird in the past few years."

"Weird?" asked Harry.

"It happens," said Hermione. "I read in a few different books that magically enchanted muggle objects tend to act up after a prolonged exposure to magic. Some authors even believe that they take a mind of their own. Which I think is quite fascinating, actually. I mean, magic sort of creating an artificial intelligence… Scientists have spent years trying to create one."

The three friends entered the Great Hall and took their usual seats at the Hufflepuff table with their backs towards the Gryffindor table so they could avoid seeing the red haired eating machine.

"Hi guys," Susan Bones said as she and Hannah Abbot sat across from them. "You excited about the flying lessons."

"Yes," Harry said with a grin.

"No," both Hermione and Neville answered.

"What's wrong?" asked Hannah as she buttered a slice of toast. "You two nervous?"

"Yes," said Neville.

"Not nervous," said Hermione. "I just don't like heights."

"Haven't you been in an airplane before?" asked Hannah, who's mother was a muggle, and so she knew all about the muggle world.

"Well, yes," said Hermione. "But when my parents and I go on holiday and fly, they always get seats in the middle of the plane so I don't have to look outside, then I can pretend we're inside a boat or something."

"There's no need to worry," Susan said. "No one ever gets hurt during flying lessons. From what I heard, we only hover on a broom four or five feet off the ground, and Madam Hooch places cushioning charms on the ground in case anyone accidentally slips off their broom."

Hearing that seemed to ease some of Hermione's worries about the upcoming lesson.

"Hey Potter," Draco said as he and his two lackeys walked over to them from the Slytherin table.

"What is it Malfoy?" asked Harry. "And please tell me that if you're hear to insult me, that you actually came up with something good this time. Because honestly, ever since we met before Herbology, all you've ever come up with is variations of telling me that you think I suck. And truthfully, it's already getting old."

"Actually," Draco said. "I just came to wish you luck."

"Huh?" asked Harry, confused by this sudden turn.

"Yes," said Draco. "Learning to fly a broom can be quite dangerous. You never know when you might suddenly drop out of the sky and plummet to your death."

"That wont happen," said Hannah.

"It might," said Draco. "Madam Hooch told us about it last weekend when we had our flying lessons with the Gryffindorks."

Both Crabbe and Goyle chuckled at the lame word play.

"Witches and wizards that don't know what they're doing fall off their brooms all the time," Draco continued. "She even told us that when it happens over a muggle city, they just write it off as a suicide jumper from a building. But of course, the three of us had no problems during the class since we come from a more… Noble stock."

"Shove off," Susan said.

"Or what?" asked Draco with a sneer.

"Or maybe I'll mention in my next letter home to my aunt that I overheard you bragging to your two shadows about how your father has a hidden stockpile of illegal dark artifacts at your home," said Susan.

"I never said any such thing," spat Draco.

"Oh, I know that," said Susan. "And you know that. But it really wouldn't matter, would it. Aunty never bought into your father's little 'I was imperioused' story, and would gladly jump at the chance to do a raid on your house. And while I'm sure that if he does have anything, it would be too well hidden for anyone to find, imagine how annoyed he will be when his name is mentioned in the paper in regards to a dark artifact raid. And with how close knit he is with so many people in the ministry, it would only be a matter of time before he found out that the tip came from a letter from me mentioning I heard you talking about it… I wonder what he will do when he finds out about that."

Draco silently glared at Susan for nearly ten seconds before he turned and stormed out of the Great Hall, his two 'friends' following after him.

"That… Was brilliant," Harry said with a smile, causing Susan to blush.

"He's a prat," Susan said. "He thinks that because he's a Malfoy, that the world should bow before him. People like that really annoy me."

"What did you mean by his dad claiming he was, what did you call it?" asked Hermione.

"Imperioused," said Susan. "It's dark magic. One of the three unforgivables. It allows the caster to control the mind of whoever they cast it on. Before I came to school, aunty warned me to watch out for the kids of the parents that claimed they were imperioused during the war. She never believed it and doesn't trust them. They all had something to gain from joining up with You-Know-Who."

Harry suddenly dropped his fork onto his plate, causing it to clatter.

"Malfoy's dad was with Voldemort?" Harry asked, causing Susan, Hannah, and Neville to all shiver upon hearing that name.

"Yes," Susan said a moment later, and Harry noticed a cold look in her eyes. He was about to ask her if something was wrong, but one look at Hannah, who was gesturing that he drop it, changed his mind.

"Well," Harry said after a moment of awkward silence. "How about we hurry up and eat so we can head out for flying lessons?"

The other four agreed, and after they had finished their breakfast, they left the Great Hall and wandered out onto the grounds and towards the eastern side of the castle, where there were already a few Ravenclaw first years waiting.

As they waited, and more first year Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws arrived, Harry watched a strange looking tree. What made the tree strange looking was that its branches were moving. However, they were not moving because of a strong breeze, as there was none outside, but moving as it's large braches were swinging at a couple of crows that were flying circles around it.

"It's a Whomping Willow," Hermione said when she noticed what Harry was staring at. "I read about it in 'Hogwarts, A History'. Professor Dumbledore brought it here after he spent the summer holiday in America in 1971 as a birthday present for Professor Sprout."

"Cool gift," said Neville, who was now also watching the tree and in awe of it.

It was then that Madam Hooch arrived with a bundle of school brooms floating next to her.

"Alright everyone, line up please," she said in a firm voice that got everyone's attention. All of the assembled students lined up on the grass and as soon as they were ready, Madam Hooch flicked her wand, sending a broom to land on the ground in front of each first year.

"Now, before we begin, I want to remind all of you that there will be no horsing around during this lesson," said Madam Hooch as she walked up and down in front of the students. "Flying a broom is very serious business, and any mistakes could lead to a number of accidents and injuries. If I catch any of you messing around, you will be put on a very restricted list of students who are not allowed to have or use a broom during their seven years here at Hogwarts. Does everyone understand?"

There was a chorus of students saying, "Yes, Madam Hooch."

"Good," she said. "Now, for your first lesson, I want each of you to step up to the side of the broom I placed in front of you, hold your hand out over the broom, and say 'up'."

Harry moved up to the side of his broom along with the rest of the class and held his hand out over it and said, "Up," which caused his broom to instantly jump up from the ground and into his hand.

Hermione was a little surprised by this, since in the few classes that they had had so far, she normally was able to master a spell before he was. Setting her face into determination, she tried harder and spoke more firmly to her broom, but only got it to jump up a few inches and roll around on the grass.

Neville was having even less luck with his broom, which refused to move at all.

"Remember, speak clearly and firmly," Madam Hooch said.

"UP!" Neville practically shouted at his broom, which instead of jumping up into his hand, came up handle first and hit him on the nose before returning to the ground and remaining motionless.

"Please be careful with school property, Mr. Longbottom," scolded Madam Hooch as she passed him by.

It was almost twenty minutes before everyone had finally managed to get their brooms to jump up into their hands.

"Good," Madam Hooch said as she moved to the front of the group. "Now, I want you to mount your brooms."

She watched as each of the students got onto the brooms, quietly sighing when she noticed some of them doing it wrong.

"Miss Patil, we do not sit side saddle on the broom," said Madam Hooch. "I am here to teach you how to do it properly. And before you say anything, I already know from your sister last week that your father had the two of you taught that way, so there is no need to explain."

THUD

Madam Hooch turned around and saw Neville on the ground with his broom floating above him.

"Mr. Longbottom, what did I say about playing around?"

"It wasn't me," said Neville as he slowly got to his feet. "It was the broom."

"It's true," said Harry. "As soon as Neville got on, the broom did a little flip and knocked Neville off."

A few of the other nearby students that had witnessed it nodded in agreement with Harry on what had happened.

"Very well," said Madam Hooch. "Set that broom aside and grab one of the spares from the pile I brought."

Neville quickly ran over to the pile of brooms and selected a new one, leaving his previous one where it was as Madam Hooch made sure that everyone else was sitting properly on their brooms.

"Very good," she said. "Now, I when I blow my whistle, I want each of you to gently kick off from the ground and hover a few feet off the ground. When I blow my whistle a second time, I want you to slowly lean forward and land."

Madam Hooch pulled out his whistle and after casting a cushioning charm on the ground, gave it a blow.

TWEET

"AHHHHHHHH!" shouted Neville as the broom he had previously been using flew up behind him and snagged his robes on the handle as it rocketed up into the sky.

Everyone gasped as they watched the young boy being flown around while Madam Hooch grumbled and summoned her own broom to her. She was just about to fly off to rescue him when Neville and the broom crashed into the Whomping Willow.

"Bloody hell," Madam Hooch quietly said as the living tree grabbed Neville as he fell to the ground and begun to swing him around in its hand-like branches. "None of you move," she said to the class. "I need to get Professor Sprout to deal with that tree."

Madam Hooch then turned and ran towards the castle while the assembled group watched in fear for the young wizard.

Not far away, Draco Malfoy and a group of Slytherins were pointing and laughing.

"HELP!" Neville shouted just moments before the small amount of breakfast he managed to eat came back up, spewing on the tree, which just angered it more.

The minutes ticked by and Madam Hooch had yet to return with Professor Sprout.

Harry started to get antsy as he listened to his friend cry out for help.

Finally, he couldn't stand it anymore and grabbed one of the school brooms.

"What are you doing?" Hermione asked when she noticed Harry mounting the broom.

"No idea," was all Harry said before he kicked off and flew as fast as he could towards the Whomping Willow.

Harry couldn't help but smile when he felt the wind on his face, which quickly turned into a look of determination as he approached the tree.

With the ease as if he had been flying his entire life, Harry dodged the swinging club-like tree branches. Through the rush of the wind and the whistle of the swinging branches, Harry could hear Neville's continued cry for help.

The group of Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff first years watched in stunned silence as the Boy-Who-Lived was risking his life to save a fellow student.

Hermione had her hands covering her mouth and trying not to freak out about what Harry was doing.

OoOoOoOoOoO

"A galleon says the tree clobbers him in the next thirty seconds," Draco said to his friends.

"Two galleons on him lasting a minute," said Blaise Zabini.

"Five galleons that he rescues that boy and makes it out of there," said Daphne Greengrass, which earned her a sneer from Draco. "That is unless you don't have the money?"

"You're on," spat Draco. "And don't think I will forget this."

"I hope you don't," said Daphne.

OoOoOoOoOoO

"HARRY?!" Neville shouted in surprise when he finally noticed his friend flying around the tree.

"HEY NEVILLE!" Harry shouted back. "HOLD ON A SECOND AND I'LL GET YOU OUT OF HERE!"

Neville just nodded dumbly as he watched Harry narrowly being clobbered with particularly thick tree branch.

"Oh, I hope this works," Harry quietly said to himself. He then looped out of the way of two braches that tried to grab him before kicking the branch that was holding Neville as hard as he could. This got the desired result, as the branch let go of Neville, causing him to fall to the ground, screaming.

"GOTCHA!" Harry said as he grabbed Neville by the leg and flew away from the tree as fast as he could, and then landing a little roughly about thirty feet away from the tree.

Everyone started cheering when Harry and Neville landed on the ground.

OoOoOoOoOoO

Daphne smiled smugly as Draco scowled and handed over five golden coins before storming off with Crabbe and Goyle following in his shadow.

OoOoOoOoOoO

"You PRAT!" Hermione shouted when she reached Harry and Neville as they stood up and punched Harry in the arm as hard as she could, causing him to grab where she had hit him.

"What where you thinking?" asked Hermione, hitting him again, this time on the other arm.

"Ow," said Harry. "Will you please stop hitting me?"

"Fine," Hermione said, and then punched him again a few seconds later. "Now I'm done."

"You sure?" asked Harry.

"Yes," said Hermione.

"Good, because I can barely feel my arms right now," said Harry. "As for what I was thinking… I was thinking that my friend was in trouble and it was taking Madam Hooch too long to get back."

Of course, just then Madam Hooch and Professor Sprout walked over to the group. Neither of them looked happy.

"Pomona, why don't you take Mr. Longbottom to the hospital wing while I escort Mr. Potter to see the Headmaster," said Madam Hooch.

"Of course," said Professor Sprout, who then turned to Neville and started guiding him towards the castle. "Come along deary. A quick visit with Poppy and you'll be as right as rain."

"Mr. Potter, with me," said Madam Hooch, who then started to lead Harry towards the castle.

The walk towards the second floor entrance to Dumbledore's office seemed to last an eternity to Harry as images of being kicked out of school flashed through his head. He imagined how disappointed Ted and Andromeda would be with him and even started to worry that they would regret having taken him in to live with them in the first place.

Finally, they came to a stop in front of a large stone gargoyle.

"Abba-Zaba," Madam Hooch said, causing the gargoyle to step aside and a winding set of stairs to rise up through the tower.

The two of them stepped onto the stairs and rode them all the way up to a set of wooden doors, which Madam Hooch knocked on.

"Enter," came Dumbledore's voice from the other side.

Madam Hooch opened the door and lead Harry in.

"Ah, Rolanda, what a pleasant surprise," Dumbledore said with a twinkle in his eye. "And Mr. Potter. A good day to you as well."

"You may not think so after you hear what he has done," said Madam Hooch.

"Oh?" asked Dumbledore as he looked over the tops of his half-moon spectacles.

"Yes," said Madam Hooch. "You see, during today's broom flying class, one of the brooms took Mr. Longbottom and flew into the Whomping Willow, which captured the young boy. I told the class to remain where they were while I went looking for Pomona, since she is best qualified for dealing with that tree."

"She does have an odd connection with that temperamental tree, doesn't she," Dumbledore said with a hint of a smile.

"However, while I was gone, Mr. Potter disregarded my instructions and took it upon himself to rescue Mr. Longbottom from the Whomping Willow's clutches, endangering both himself and Mr. Longbottom more than he already was," said Madam Hooch.

"Did he now?" asked Dumbledore, who turned his gaze on Harry. "He doesn't seem to have a scratch on him."

"I don't," Harry said. "In fact, I'm fine. The tree didn't touch me."

"How interesting," said Dumbledore. "That must have been an amazing bit of flying to avoid the Whomping Willow. In fact, since it had been planted here, I do not recall anything being within reach of it and not being grabbed and pummeled."

"The fact that it was some of the most brilliant bit of flying I have ever seen is beyond the point," said Madam Hooch. "Rules are rules, and Mr. Potter went against one that I personally gave to him and the rest of the class."

"Yes, but…" Harry started to say.

"No buts," said Madam Hooch.

"But what, Harry?" asked Dumbledore, curious as to what the young boy would say.

"It's just… Well," Harry started to say. "Madam Hooch was taking too long finding Professor Sprout, and I was worried about my friend. I couldn't just stand there and watch him get tossed around like a rag doll."

"I see," said Dumbledore. He could tell there was more to what Harry was saying, and with a quick bit of Legilimency, he peeked into the young boy's mind and saw images of Harry alone, helpless at the hands of his relatives with no one coming to help him.

"Very well," Dumbledore said after a few moments of silence. "Mr. Potter, you did violate instructions given to you by a professor. This would normally result in loss of points for your house, plus detention… However, in light of the situation of the fact that you broke said instructions to help a fellow student, I will forego punishment and instead you will not be rewarded in any way for your actions. Do you agree that this is far?"

"Yes sir," Harry said.

"Madam Hooch?" Dumbledore asked.

"Yes," said Madam Hooch. "However, I would like to add that Mr. Potter not be granted use of the school brooms, nor be allowed to borrow and use another students broom for the remainder of his time here at Hogwarts."

"That seems a tad bit extreme," said Dumbledore. "Considering Mr. Potter broke the rules to rescue a fellow student… However, I will meet you half way on your suggestion and agree to Mr. Potter's ban lasting for this school year and this school year only. Anything more than that and I'm afraid it is too harsh considering the circumstances."

Madam Hooch didn't look pleased with this, but reluctantly agreed and said, "Very well. If you will excuse me, I have to return and finish the flying lessons for the rest of the first years."

Dumbledore nodded and Madam Hooch left the office.

"You may go as well Mr. Potter," Dumbledore said. "And I hope that in the future, that you do not take such dangerous risks as you did today."

"I wont sir," Harry said before he left the Headmaster alone in his office.

Dumbledore reached over to the candy dish on his desk and selected a lemon drop from it and put it in his mouth as he smiled to himself.

"Ten points to Hufflepuff," he said before returning to the parchment he had been reading moments before the two of them had come to his office.

OoOoOoOoOoO

**A/N:** I'm sure some of you aren't happy that I basically 'grounded' Harry for his first year. However, before you go getting your torches and pitchforks and start to form a mob, allow me to explain me reason. In canon, Snape has a tendency to point out that Harry thinks he's above the rules, which is understandable considering that when he broke the rule Madam Hooch said about staying on the ground while she took Neville to the hospital wing, he was rewarded with a spot on the Quidditch team and one of the best and most expensive brooms available at the time. With Harry actually having to face some form of punishment, anytime Snape makes that claim in my story will only to further prove to everyone around him that he is holding a grudge against Harry for no reason, which will then lead to... Well, I don't want to say. It will ruin the surprise. However, I will say that his past sins will be coming back to haunt him before the school year is over.

Also, I hope you liked Harry's little challenge against the Whomping Willow. I wanted to do something different from the book, plus his skills at flying gives a hint as to what position Harry will be playing when he joins the Quidditch team next year... What? Did you honestly think that I wouldn't ever let him play? Of course he is. After trying out with everyone else of course.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven – The First Step**

It was well past midnight as Quirrell silently made his way out of the castle and across the grounds towards the Forbidden Forest. His master was weak, and no amount of strengthening potion would aid him, nor was he able to regain his strength through regular food. It seemed that their connection was weakening. There was only one way for his master to get what he needed.

The blood of the most innocent living thing on the entire planet. The blood of a unicorn.

A shiver ran down Quirrell's spine at the thought of having to ingest the blood. He knew that there was a price to pay for killing something so innocent and pure. He just hopped that his master's plan worked, because if not, without the stone, there would be no curing him of the curse that would take him the moment the blood touched his lips.

"You still doubt me?" Voldemort asked in him mind, too weak to speak out loud.

"No, my lord," said Quirrell. "It's just… Muggles and mudbloods are one thing as neither are fit to breath our air, let alone live. But a unicorn…"

"Is a symbol of light and goodness," said Voldemort. "While they live, it gives people like Dumbledore hope for a better tomorrow… And when I return, I will destroy that hope… I will see that every unicorn is wiped from the face of this world and use what I will from their lifeless forms in my rituals to bring me and those most faithful to me more power than could ever be imagined."

"Power?" asked Quirrell, as it was one of the main reasons he, like many others, had joined Voldemort in the first place. "How much power?"

Voldemort chuckled, knowing he had said exactly what he needed to control the idiot.

"Enough so that the rest of the world would view us as gods," Voldemort hissed. "Now, enough talk. I grow weaker every passing minute."

"Yes, my lord," Quirrell said. "Let us feed you and give you the strength you deserve."

OoOoOoOoOoO

It had been a week since Harry had flown circles around the Whomping Willow in order to save Neville. Word had spread quickly about what had happened and Harry had barely been back in the common room for a few seconds after leaving Dumbledore's office before Portman descended on him, wanting to know why Harry had lied to him about not being able to fly.

"I never said I couldn't," said Harry. "All I said was that I had only been flying for about a month before coming to Hogwarts. You just assumed that it meant I couldn't fly."

"But you can fly," said Portman. "Oh, this is brilliant. You'll be perfect on the team. Of course, I'll have to talk to Professor Sprout about waving the rule about first years and brooms, but I don't think that should be a problem."

"Don't bother," said Harry. "I'm grounded."

"What?" asked Portman.

"After what I did, Madam Hooch has had me banned from flying for the rest of the year," said Harry.

"That's ridiculous," said Portman. "You saved someone's life. You flew through the thick of one of the most dangerous trees ever without a scratch as far as I can tell. You should be getting an award from the school, and points for our house, and most importantly, be on the Quidditch team."

"What can I say," said Harry. "I broke the rules. She told us to stay on the ground and I didn't. Just be happy that Professor Dumbledore over ruled her, otherwise I would be facing a full seven year ban."

"SHE WANTED TO BAN YOU FROM FLYING FOR SEVEN YEARS?!" shouted Portman. "I know Hooch was a stickler for the rules, but that's just mental."

"Look, I don't know what to say," said Harry. "Honestly, I would love to play Quidditch. But I can't. Not now."

Portman sighed and slumped his shoulders a bit.

"Yeah, you're right," he said. "It's just… Hufflepuff has never won the Quidditch cup. We've come close once or twice, though from what I've heard, in the past ten years, we've been dead last. It's usually been Gryffindor or Slytherin that wins. When I heard about your flying, I had hope that this year would be our year."

The two of them sat in silence for a moment, both lost in their own thoughts.

"There's always next year," Harry said.

"I guess," said Portman. "I mean, this year would have been nice, you know? My first year as captain and we win the cup… But I guess it can wait till next year… And don't even think about saying you don't deserve a spot on the team. Anyone that can fly like you did today has a brilliant future ahead of them as a Chaser."

And with that said, Portman stood up from the couch he and Harry were sitting on and went back over to join his friends.

"A Chaser?" Harry asked himself before shrugging his shoulders and headed to his room to write a letter home to let his family know about what had happened. He just hoped that they weren't too disappointed with him for breaking the rules and getting into trouble.

However, now it was a week later and the moment he had been dreaded for days.

Hedwig had returned with a letter from his family.

He sat at the Hufflepuff table in the Great Hall with the rest of the students that were talking and enjoying breakfast. However, at that moment, he wasn't feeling all that hungry.

"You know, it's easier to read a letter if you open it," Susan Bones commented from across the table.

Harry couldn't help but smile slightly, thankful to his housemate for easing a bit of the tension he was feeling.

Taking a deep breath and letting it out, Harry opened the letter and began to read.

_Dear Harry,_

_First, let us say that we are proud of you for helping a friend in need. A true example of a Hufflepuff if there ever was one. However, it was quite foolish of you to single handedly rescue Neville from that tree. Whomping Willow's a quite dangerous. Honestly, I have no idea what Professor Dumbledore was thinking when he brought that tree to the school in the first place._

_Please, promise us that you will not needlessly risk your own safety like that again. While you have only been a member of this family for a few months now, Ted and I both think of you as our son and care very deeply for you. Not to mention how much Nymphadora thinks the world of you as her little brother. It would break all of our hearts if something were to happen to you._

_I won't lecture you on and on about this, as I am sure you have learned your lesson. I am also pleased to see that you are accepting of the punishment that was given to you. It shows that you are mature enough to know that when you are wrong and can accept the consequences. _

_In other news, I recently talked to Augusta Longbottom, Neville's grandmother, and we are planning on talking to a few other parents about approaching the Board of Governors about replacing the school brooms. If they are misbehaving the way you mentioned in your letter, then it is time for the school to replace them before someone gets seriously hurt, or even worse._

_Also, I am a bit displeased about what you have told me about your potions teacher, Professor Snape. Nymphadora told me stories about how mean he was during her years there, however I just figured it was her complaining after she was caught breaking a rule. However, hearing you tell us the same exact things she told us, and even more, I am questioning why that man is being allowed to teach at all. I cannot do anything about it now, but I will be looking into the matter, and would appreciate it if you continue to keep me apprised of the situation with him and how he treats not only you, but other students as well. One way or another, we will handle this._

_With Love,_

_Andromeda and Ted_

Harry finished reading the letter and set it down with a sigh of relief. They were more worried about his safety than the fact that he had gotten into trouble.

It was an odd feeling to the young boy, who still wasn't completely used to people caring about him. He still hung onto those feelings of worthlessness that the Dursley's hammered into him on a regular basis. Harry began to wonder if he would truly ever be over the abuse he suffered at the hands of the Dursley's.

"So?" asked Susan. "Anything good?"

"Huh?" asked Harry as he was snapped out of his thoughts. "Oh, yeah. Actually, my family talked to Neville's grandmother."

Neville looked up from his porridge with a slightly pale look on his face.

"My Gran?" asked Neville. "What did she say?"

"Well, it would seem that they are going to talk to some other parents and get the Board of Governors to replace the brooms," said Harry.

"If my Gran is involved, she'll make it happen," said Neville. "She's tough and when she wants something done, nothing stops her from doing it."

"Same with my aunt," said Susan. "She didn't let anything get in her way of becoming the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. She could probably be Minister for Magic if she wanted, but really doesn't have any desire to. Too much politics and bureaucracy. She prefers being somewhere where she can actually get things done without being bogged down by too much red tape."

"What about… The other thing you were worried about?" Hermione asked Harry quietly.

Harry had confided in his bushy haired friend about his fears about what the Tonks' would think about his getting into trouble.

"It's fine," Harry said with a smile. "They're just glad that I'm alright, and proud that I helped a friend in need."

Hermione smiled and said, "See? I told you that you had nothing to worry about."

"You were right," said Harry. "As usual."

OoOoOoOoOoO

Up at the staff table, Hagrid had just sat down to breakfast when he glanced next to him and saw Professor Quirrell.

"'ello Professor," said Hagrid as he grabbed a small pile of sausage and bacon onto his plate, followed by five large spoonfuls of scrambled eggs and enough slices of toast to equal almost an entire loaf of bread.

"Hagrid," Quirrell quietly said as he stared at the untouched food in front of him.

Hagrid took a better look at the man next to him and frowned a bit.

"You know, you don't look well," said the half-giant.

"B-b-b-bad nights s-s-s-sl-sleep," Quirrell stuttered. "D-d-d-dreams about that vam-vampire I met."

"Ah," Hagrid said as he added some salt and pepper to his eggs. "Perhaps you should see Madam Pomfrey about getting a dreamless sleep potion. It bein' Saturday and all, you could take the time to rest up a bit."

"Perhaps," said Quirrell, who felt his stomach twist slightly as the unicorn blood he had drank the night before made its way through his body, almost causing him to cry out in pain. It was almost as bad as when his master would simulate the cruciatus curse when he manipulated the pain receptors in the nerves running through his body.

"Pain is the path to true power," Voldemort whispered inside Quirrell's mind. "It will ease with time, and you will grow the more stronger from it. And with your strength, I will grow stronger as well."

"Yes, my lord," Quirrell whispered.

"What was that?" asked Hagrid.

"N-n-n-n-nothing," said Quirrell. "I think you're r-r-r-r-right about s-s-s-seeing Madam Pomfrey."

Quirrell stood up and left the Great Hall, heading for his private quarters instead of the hospital wing.

OoOoOoOoOoO

Nymphadora Tonks stood at attention as the auror that had been assigned to train her looked her over. She felt really uncomfortable as his eyes roamed over her body, especially that one eye of his.

"Humph," the man grunted. "I don't see nothing special about you… Why are you wasting my time?"

"I'm not," said Tonks. "I've wanted to be an auror since my second year at Hogwarts."

"Wanting to be and actually being an auror are nothing alike," the man growled. "Being an auror takes hard work and dedication. Look at me… I've been an auror for nearly thirty years. I lost my eye my first year out of training to a hag that ripped it right out of my head and ate it. A chunk of my nose blasted off by a Death Eater in the war. My leg sliced off with a cutting curse during what was supposed to be a simple raid that ended with nine aurors dead. I would have bled to death had Shanks not sent a Patronus message just seconds before being struck down by the killing curse. So, tell me… Do you still want to be an auror?"

Tonks gulped audibly before nodding her head.

"Yes," she said, pushing down her sudden fear and trying to sound confident. "I'm not afraid."

The man smiled as his fake eye swiveled around in his head, giving him a slightly mad look.

"Good," he said. "You will be… You will be."

OoOoOoOoOoO

"And if you turn your telescopes three degrees to the left, you should be able to spot Mars," said Professor Sinistra.

It was the last Wednesday of September, just shortly after midnight and during their weekly astronomy class. Harry yawned, despite this being the forth class, he was still not yet used to being up this late, and was very thankful that they were allowed to sleep in the mornings after since they weren't given a class to attend.

Suddenly, everyone exclaimed as they watched the red planet and a small asteroid hit it.

"Oh my, what a treat," said Professor Sinistra with a hint of child like glee.

Of course, they weren't the only ones watching Mars that night.

Deep in the Forbidden Forest, a group of centaurs had gathered in a small clearing to watch the stars.

"Mars is angry tonight," one of the centaurs said.

"Danger looms close," replied another.

"And evil," added a third.

"The humans are at risk," said the first.

"Do we warn them?" asked the third.

"It is not our place to interfere," said the second.

"Only to watch and read what the stars have planned," said the first.

OoOoOoOoOoO

**A/N:** One of the things I've always wondered from the first book is why Quirrell never showed any signs of having drunk unicorn blood. I mean, I get the whole misdirection thing by having the reader believe Snape was the bad guy, but there still should have been subtle clues so when you go back and re-read the book, it's like, "oh yeah, I see it now". Which is why I wrote in a little scene the morning after, showing that the effects of the blood is sapping away half of his life force. There's another reason I wrote it, but we'll be getting to that later on… Much later on.

Also, sorry for the shortness of this chapter. Borderlands 2 came out recently, and I have had trouble setting the controller down.

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Be sure to check back for the next one, for it is the Halloween chapter, and I have a slightly different version of what will happen planed out, as well as some of the mothers will be visiting the Board of Governors.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight – Halloween**

"Wingardium Leviosa," said Professor Flitwick from atop his pile of books behind his desk. "Or more commonly known as the levitation charm. It is the basis of all levitation related spells. From Locomotor which is used to cause a target object or objects to follow you, such as your school trunks or the trash you have to take out that is just to smelly to get close to…"

Some of the students chuckled, especially the muggleborns who were used to the responsibility their parents gave them of taking the trash out at night after dinner.

"… all the way to Levicorpus, which will cause the person the spell is cast at to be lifted up by their ankle. The wand movement is quite a simple one. A swish, followed by a quick and short, downwards flick, as such."

Professor Flitwick pulled out his wand and demonstrated the wand movements to the class.

"You see, the short flick at the end?" he asked and the class either nodded or said 'yes'.

"Good, now you all try," he said. "Swish and flick."

The students each picked up their wands from their desks and proceeded to mimic the wand movements they had just been showed a few times as Professor Flitwick looked around to make sure everyone was doing it right.

"Excellent," said Professor Flitwick. "Now that we have the wand movements down, let us try saying the spell. Wingardium Leviosa."

The voices of the students echoed as they all repeated the spell.

"Very good," he said. "Now, you all have the feathers I handed each of you when you came into class? Good. Then let us practice levitating our feathers. And as an added incentive, the first student to get their feather to reach the ceiling will earn twenty points for their house and be excused from tonight's homework assignment."

This got everyone excited. Well, almost everyone. Hermione was a little disappointed that one of the rewards was a break from homework, and she decided that if she won, she would still do the homework anyways, just to make sure that she fully understood the material.

Soon, the classroom was full of cries of "Wingardium Leviosa". It came to the surprise of very few when Hermione was the first to get her feather to float a few inches off of her table. In the two months since they had all started their first year at Hogwarts, it became well known that Hermione was not only smart, but also usually the first to get the spells they were learning to work. The second fastest was Harry, who soon had his feather floating a few inches above the desk as well, while everyone else continued to struggle.

"Um, Professor… My feather is on fire," Ernie Macmillan said, sounding slightly panicked as he tried to put the fire out by hitting it with his wand.

Harry's feather dropped back to his desk as his concentration was broken upon hearing Ernie's statement and wondered just home someone could make their feather burst into flames. It was just completely impossible to do with the wand movements, unless he messed it up. Still, it shouldn't have happened since the incantation for fire was nowhere close to sounding the same as the incantation to levitate an object. He knew this for a fact, as since he had moved in with the Tonks', he had seen either Andromeda or Ted light the stove or fireplace with the spell.

Just then, Neville started to grumble and said, "I can't do it."

"Yes you can," said Hermione, using her wand to set her feather back down. "The problem is that you aren't saying it right. You're saying the R in the wrong place. It's Wingardium, not Wingadrium."

"Oh," said Neville, blushing a bit with embarrassment. "Thanks."

Neville tried to cast the spell again, and caused his feather to sort of roll over.

"I did it?!" Neville exclaimed in surprise.

"Of course you did," said Harry. "You're awesome like that. You just need to believe in yourself a little more often, that's all."

Seeing that three of their housemates manage to cast the spell spurred on the rest of the Hufflepuffs in the class, and soon it was a slow moving race between them and the Ravenclaws as they struggled to keep their concentration on their feathers as they slowly floated their way up to the ceiling.

Professor Flitwick watched with a hint of joy on his face as so many of his first year students managed to cast the spell. It usually took two lessons before this many students were able to cast the spell as well as they were, as the levitation spell took a bit of concentration to first learn. And once it was, it could be cast as easily as one would breathe.

Just then, the charm Professor Flitwick had cast on the ceiling started to ring, letting him know that one of the students had accomplished his goal.

It was Justin Finch-Fletchley, who was smiling brightly as his friends congratulated him.

"Very good Mr. Fitch-Fletchley, very good indeed," said Professor Flitwick. "As promised, twenty points to Hufflepuff, and you are excused from tonight's reading assignment, which is pages forty two and forty three about the levitation charm."

OoOoOoOoOoO

In one of the smallest courtrooms inside the Ministry of Magic, the Hogwarts Board of Governors was having their usual monthly meeting.

Of course, this annoyed some of the members as it was Halloween, and they had parties to attend.

"Okay, let's get down to business," said Christopher Greengrass. "I doubt any of us want to be here longer than is necessary. As the usual first order of business on the two month mark of the school year, how is the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor doing?"

"Aside from being a stuttering fool?" asked Lucius Malfoy. "My son has sent home letters saying that the man is a joke. It takes him nearly ten minutes just to get a couple of complete sentences out."

"Quirrell may be a bit shaken up after some of the things he has seen," said John Abbot. "However, he was the most qualified of the few that actually applied from the job."

"What about Severus Snape?" asked Lucius. "He has applied for the position on multiple occasions and is more than qualified."

"We have been over this before," said Xi Chang. "The terms of his probation prevent him from attaining that position. Only Headmaster Dumbledore, who originally pardoned him for his actions as a follower of You-Know-Who and also hired him to teach potions, can change that. Until then, it doesn't matter if he is the last man on Earth to apply for the job, he cannot have it."

"And even if he could, I would protest against it," said John Abbot. "I have heard some disturbing things about his attitude towards students in some of the letters my daughter has sent home. Especially towards her housemate, Harry Potter."

"Do not believe the gospel of one of Mr. Potter's fans," said Lucius. "My son has also written home about him and how he flaunts his status as a celebrity around and his disregard for the rules. The boy even took a joyride on one of the school brooms when strictly forbidden from flying it."

"Yes, I have heard this as well," said Anthony Parkinson.

"Then you have not heard the entire story," a female voice suddenly spoke.

All twelve of the men on the Board of Governors turned to see Andromeda Tonks walk into the courtroom followed by Augusta Longbottom, Amelia Bones, Molly Weasley, Sally Abbot, and Jennifer Diggory.

"What is the meaning of this?" asked Lucius. "This is a closed meeting."

"I apologize," said Andromeda. "However, this is an important matter."

"I agree," said John Abbot, who had known his wife and the other women would be interrupting the meeting today.

"You knew about this?" asked Anthony Parkinson.

"I did," said John Abbot, a smug look on his face. He knew very well that Anthony Parkinson believed that a witches place was in front of the cauldron, not 'meddling' in wizard affairs.

Some of the members of the Board of Governors started bickering back and forth, throwing a few subtle threats and accusations around. The women watched and wondered that if this is how a usual meeting went, it was a wonder anything was done for the school.

After nearly a minute, Amelia Bones had had enough, and pulled out her wand, shooting off a series of spark and getting the attention of everyone in the room.

"Thank you," she said. "Now, as to why we are here. The school brooms used by Hogwarts are out of date and the charms are malfunctioning, as demonstrated with what happened to young Mr. Longbottom."

"How do we know it was the brooms fault and not the ineptitude of the boy?" asked Lucius Malfoy. "One must ask this, as there are rumors circulating that he barely has any magical ability to the point that he could be mistaken for a squib."

"What did you just say about my grandson?" asked Augusta.

To this point in his life, there was only one person Lucius Malfoy had ever feared. Lord Voldemort. However, now seeing the look in the elderly witch's eyes, he was glad he had visited the loo before attending this meeting.

"I mean no disrespect," Lucius backpedaled. "Just merely repeating the obviously unfounded rumor I had overheard."

"Back to the matter at hand," said Martin Littlewood. "While we would love nothing more than to replace the brooms, it simply is not within the budget this year."

"Actually, that's where you are wrong," said Jennifer Diggory. "Sally acquired a copy of the yearly Hogwarts budget, and we have found that there is nearly one thousand galleons each year that is not being spent, though it is being removed from the account."

"That cannot be," said Christopher Greengrass. "Mr. Nott is the treasurer, and he has reported full spending of the budget each year. In fact, for the past six years, we have barely been able to pay the entire staff and are considering letting a few of them go from the extra curricular classes, such as divination. That is unless he has not been entirely truthful on the matter."

Everyone turned to look at Gregory Nott, who suddenly jumped out of his seat and pulled his wand.

"You stupid cunts, I'll see you dead for exposing me," spat Nott, who was beginning to cast the killing curse at random when he was blasted by a stunner out of thin air.

"And that," said Moody as he pulled off his invisibility cloak, "is how you get the upper hand on an unsuspecting target."

Next to him, Tonks pulled an invisibility cloak off of herself.

"Remember," he said. "CONSTANT VIGILANCE!"

"Alastor, thank you for joining us," said Amelia.

"Not a problem," said Moody. "Sorry for not letting you ladies know that we had arrived, but I felt it best if you hadn't. That way, no one would give us away by looking around to see where we were hiding."

"Not a problem," said Amelia. "Now if you and…"

"Tonks, ma'am," Tonks said.

Amelia arched her eyebrow and looked at Andromeda.

"My daughter," Andromeda said. "She recently started her training."

"I see," said Amelia. "Well, Cadet Tonks, if you and Alastor would be so kind as to bound Mr. Nott and escort him upstairs to a holding cell, as I shall be up as soon as the matter of the brooms is dealt with."

"Wait, you're serious about the brooms?" asked Christopher Greengrass. "I thought that was just a ruse to expose Nott."

"If that was the case, then these fine ladies would not be here with me," said Amelia as Tonks cast a levitation charm on the bound Nott and floated him out of the courtroom, accidentally bumping the man's head against the door frame as she and Moody left.

"That cannot be decided now," said Lucius.

"And may I ask why not?" asked Andromeda.

"We do not know the full extent of the money that Mr. Nott has possibly embezzled. Until we do and set out to reacquire the lost funds, I cannot in good conscious spend any money."

"Unfortunately, he's right," said John Abbot. "However, you ladies can be assured that as soon as the matter is cleared up, Hogwarts will be receiving a shipment of brand new Clean Sweeps to replace the old ones. Also, until then, I suggest that the brooms currently at Hogwarts be retired from service."

"I second the motion," said Xi Chang.

"Then let us put it to a vote," said Christopher Greengrass. "All in favor?"

All of the men raised their hands, including Lucius, who knew it was futile to fight this battle. He had not survived the fall of the Dark Lord and come out smelling like roses and get to where he currently was in life by being a fool.

"The motion passes," said Christopher Greengrass. "We shall send an owl with the notification to the Headmaster at the end of this meeting, along with a promise of new brooms as soon as it is possible."

OoOoOoOoOoO

"I know I have said this before, but I seriously love magic," said Harry as he and his friends left the charms classroom. During the last few minutes of class, Professor Flitwick had charmed a few jack-o'-lanterns to sing Halloween themed songs like 'Trick Or Treat' and 'Grim Grinning Ghosts', which entertained the first years immensely.

"That was a very entertaining performance Professor Flitwick put on," said Hermione. "I could see how that would be very handy to know when raising a child."

"What do you mean?" asked Neville.

"Well, say that both parents are busy," said Hermione. "Such as one at work and the other needs to clean the house. An unsupervised child can get into a whole lot of trouble. Most parents, at least muggle ones, just sit their children down in front of the TV and let them be. Of course, that does nothing to stimulate the child's brain."

"Tell me about it," said Harry. "My relatives did that to my cousin. He just sat there, watching cartoons and stuffing his face with whatever sweets my aunt would give him after he threw a tantrum. Now… Well, lets just say that he looks like a baby whale."

Neville, Susan, and Hannah snickered and Hermione said, "Oh my."

"But that is what I'm getting at," said Hermione. "I'm sure with the right kind of charm, a parent could charm some puppets to put on a show that would be educational and entertaining at the same time. Even getting the child to be involved as well."

"Notebook?" Harry asked, referencing the notebook of ideas he and Hermione had started shortly after their first charms class, which was full of ideas of spells and charms they wanted to look into, or possibly even create.

"Of course," said Hermione, thinking of the possibilities of such a spell.

Just then, as they turned the corner, someone ran into Hermione, knocking her down onto the floor.

"Watch it, squirrel girl," Ron Weasley said as he looked down at her before continuing on his way.

As Neville helped Hermione up to her feet, Harry subtly pointed his wand at the retreating red head and quietly said, "_Decido_," causing the boy to trip and fall forward onto his face, resulting in most of the students around him to point and laugh while Harry smirked and tucked his wand away.

"You okay?" Neville asked.

"Fine," Hermione said. "Excuse me."

She then took off running, but not before both Harry and Neville could see the tears start to roll down her cheeks.

"That's not good," said Harry.

The four friends followed after Hermione just in time to see her run into the girl's loo.

"Great," said Harry. "We can't go in there."

"You can't," said Susan. "But we can."

"You two go ahead to the feast," said Hannah. "We'll make sure Hermione is fine and join you shortly. Save us seats."

The two girls headed into the girl's loo while Harry and Neville headed towards the Great Hall.

"I hope Hermione will be alright," said Harry.

"Me too," said Neville. "Though, I will admit that I don't understand why she's upset."

"Words can hurt Neville," said Harry, thinking back to some of the things the Dursley's had called him over the years. "Believe me."

Neville nodded his head in understanding, knowing the feeling just as well. All his life he had heard people make comments when they thought he wasn't around about how they thought he was a squib. And while his Gran never said it, he could see the questioning look in her eyes as he grew up, wondering if it was true until his Great Uncle Algie had a little too much mead one Christmas and tossed him out one of the upper floor windows. Had it not been for a bit of accidental magic causing Neville to bounce like a ball, he was sure he would have been seriously hurt, or even worse.

OoOoOoOoOoO

Susan leaned against the closed stall door where Hermione sat, crying, as Hannah slowly paced back and forth.

"Any time you want to talk, we're here," said Susan.

"It's nothing," Hermione said, trying to hide the fact that she was upset.

"Come on Hermione," said Hannah. "It's obvious that what that git said upset you."

"No it didn't, really," said Hermione, though neither of the other two girls were buying it.

"Then why did you run off crying?" asked Susan.

Hermione let out a sigh as she realized that neither girl was going to leave until she talked about what was bothering her. After wiping her eyes with a bit of toilet paper, she stood up and opened the stall door. Susan then guided the bushy haired witch over to a bench while Hannah leaned against one of the sinks across from them.

"Before I came here to Hogwarts, I didn't have any friends," Hermione said after a moment of silence she used to collect her thoughts. "All the other kids at school made fun of me. That is unless they wanted me to do their homework for them, because all they saw me as was a bushy-haired-buck-toothed-know-it-all… So, I delved deeper into my studies, which only made matters worse when everyone would go off playing during lunch and I would sit under a tree with a book thicker than my arm.

"So, when the Sorting Hat was put on my head… The hat knew that my deepest desire was to have friends. Real friends. So I was put into Hufflepuff."

"I was wondering about that," said Hannah. "I mean… You're scary smart. Probably gonna end up top of our year. So why you weren't put into Ravenclaw surprised me. Not that I don't want you in our house. I do. You're awesome. And a good friend. Not to mention scary smart. And I'm going to be quiet now before I stick my foot further into my mouth."

Hermione couldn't help but let out a small laugh.

"It's okay," she said. "I understand what you mean… Anyways, when that boy called me squirrel girl, it just brought back memories of what life was like for me before Hogwarts. Before I had friends."

"Awww," said both Susan and Hannah as they enveloped Hermione in a hug.

"You don't need to worry about that ever again," said Susan. "We'll always be your friend."

"Yeah," said Hannah.

Hermione smiled, and this time she started to cry tears of joy.

It was a few minutes later before the two girls helped Hermione make herself look more presentable, and they left the loo to make their way to the Halloween feast.

"I hope there are some candied apples left," said Hannah. "My mum said that the elves here make the best she has ever had."

Just then, as they started down the last set of stairs, they heard the sounds of panicked students, and then saw them all standing outside the Great Hall.

"I wonder what's going on?" asked Susan.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" someone shouted inside the Great Hall just seconds before there was a huge flash of light and the castle shook for a moment.

It took the three girls a few moments to push their way through the crowd with Susan in the lead, and when they reached the entrance to the Great Hall, they gasped in surprise.

The Great Hall was a disaster area. The large window behind the Head Table was shattered and there was a huge hole in the castle wall. The four, long house tables were broken and strewn about and food scattered everywhere. However, none of that was the most shocking thing they had seen, for in the middle of the decimated Great Hall and surrounded by teachers was an unconscious Harry Potter, who for some reason was missing a shoe.

"You ever get the feeling you just missed something huge?" asked Hannah.

OoOoOoOoOoO

Harry and Neville had barely been sitting down with the rest of the Hufflepuffs when it happened.

The large window behind the head table shattered as the body of a fully grown mountain troll came flying through, landing with a THUD and a grunt in front of everyone in the room.

Everyone sat in stunned silence, unable to believe what they were seeing. That is until a second mountain troll came climbing in through the broken window. It was then that the students began to panic as the two trolls began to fight each other in the Great Hall.

The professors did their best to rush the students out of the Great Hall, however there were a few injuries, though nothing too serious.

In the chaos and panic of trying to get clear of the brawling trolls, no one noticed as Professor Quirrell pulled out his wand and silently cast a sticking charm to one of Harry's shoes, trapping the boy where he stood as everyone rushed past him to get away.

Harry struggled to free his stuck foot, but it was to no avail. Finally, the idea dawned on him to pull his foot out of the shoe, and so he quickly crouched down and undid the laces of his trainers and pulled his foot free. Harry was smiling as he stood up and was about to run, when the smile faded from his face as he watched one of the trolls snap the neck of the other troll.

It was at this point that Harry finally got a good look at the giant troll before him, and it reminded him in a way of his Uncle Vernon, especially with the throbbing vein in its forehead.

Harry was trapped by fear as his imagination ran away from him. In his mind, the face of the troll morphed into that of his uncle.

"Well, well, well," said the Vernon troll. "If it isn't the freak. You know that this is all your fault, don't you boy? Everything is your fault. None of this would have happened if you weren't here instead of locked away in your cupboard where you belong. You're coming back home with me. I'll finally stomp that freakish magic out of you, even if it kills you."

"No," Harry whispered, barely even hearing it himself.

"What was that boy?" asked the Vernon troll. "You dare talk back to me? Just for that, I'll beat you right good before I lock you back up with no meals for a month."

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Harry shouted, and just as the troll turned back to a normal looking troll, he pulled his wand out in some unknown instinct and pointed it at the large creature before him, which gave the young wizard a dumb look.

A burst of bright blue light exploded out of the tip of Harry's wand, blasting the troll off of its feet and through the wall behind it before he suddenly went limp and was unconscious on the floor.

OoOoOoOoOoO

**A/N:** So… What did everyone think? When I first decided to write this story, the scene with Harry and the Vernon troll was one of the first ideas to pop into my head. It was supposed to be the big moment when Harry finally breaks himself away from the feelings of doubt that the Dursley's piled onto him over the years and allowing him to move on with his life. I also didn't want to do the same "Harry saves Hermione from the troll" bit that everyone has a variation of in their story.

Also, forgive me for the Board of Governors scene if you don't like it. I'm really not happy with it either, but it was the best that I could do.

Lastly, I would like to thank not only everyone that has left a review, but also to everyone that has subscribed and favorited both this story and me. I'd be writing this story no matter what, but it's your folks that make it worth it all that much more.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine – Halloween: Part 2**

Albus Dumbledore stood in the middle of the Great Hall, the image of the troll flying backwards through the wall frozen in time as he viewed his memory of the event in his pensieve.

"Amazing," he said quietly to himself as he stared at the burst of magic between Harry and the troll. He had seen all sorts of accidental magic throughout his years, but never anything as powerful as what Harry had produced.

The events of the evening reversed itself back to just before Harry had pulled out his wand and his sudden exclamation.

"What was going through your head?" the aged wizard asked as he noticed the look of fear on Harry's face turn into one of defiance and rage as he unleashed a very overpowered banishing spell. One that had broken every bone in the troll's body before it smashed through the foot and a half thick stone wall of the castle.

Dumbledore was so distracted by what Harry had done, he completely missed the sticking charm that had been cast on the young boy by a member of his own staff.

OoOoOoOoOoO

It was twenty minutes later when Dumbledore exited from his own memories of the event, and to the quite unhappy look of Andromeda Tonks.

"Andromeda, what a surprise," said Dumbledore.

"Is it?" she asked, not sounding very happy. "After what happened tonight, are you really surprised to see me?"

"No," Dumbledore said, realizing that he wasn't. "I take it that Pomona floo called you?"

"She did," said Andromeda. "Which raises that question why a Head of House called me to inform me of what happened to Harry instead of the Headmaster, who seems more interested in swimming around within memories."

"My apologies, but I needed to see what had happened again as soon as possible," said Dumbledore as he sat down behind his desk. "Words cannot describe what transpired."

"Try," Andromeda said as she too sat down.

"Well," said Dumbledore. "You do remember the object that was hidden on the third floor?"

"I remember coming to see you about that dangers that surrounded it and threatened my son's life," said Andromeda.

"Adopted son," Dumbledore corrected her and instantly regreated it by the look on her face. Obviously, this wasn't a time to split hairs with the woman. "Anyways, one of the safe guards placed there by our defense teacher were a pair of trolls. When the object had been moved, the trolls were released into the Forbidden Forest… It would seem that they made their way back here in what I can only guess is for some territorial reason, which is why they had been fighting. They both believed that the caste was their territory."

"That does not explain what happened to Harry," said Andromeda.

"Ah, yes," said Dumbledore with a hint of a smile. "Astonishing, it was. Harry unleashed quite the powerful bit of accidental magic that took on the form of a banishing spell."

"Accidental magic?" asked Andromeda. Never in all her years had she ever heard of accidental magic doing anything like what Harry had done. Granted, accidental magic was usually reactionary due to moments of high emotional stress, which being threatened by a fully grown mountain troll would surely qualify as, but still. For someone as young as he was to do what even some fully grown and trained wizards can't do spoke volumes to the woman about just how special Harry was.

"Quite so," Dumbledore said, sensing what the woman was thinking. "While it is rare for accidental magic to be as powerful as what Harry has done at his age, it has happened a few times in the past. One time, I am now beginning to suspect, was ten years ago tonight."

"You don't mean?" Andromeda asked.

"The night Voldemort was defeated," Dumbledore said, noticing Andromeda flinch slightly. "I still believe that Lily's sacrifice is what protected Harry from the killing curse, but I now suspect that Harry subconsciously reacted to the curse and unleashed a burst of accidental magic so powerful, that it destroyed Voldemort."

Andromeda thought about that for a moment.

"That would make sense," she said. "Not long after that night, Ted, Nymphadora, and I went to Godric's Hallow to pay our respects. I saw the house and how part of it looked like it had exploded from inside."

"Where Harry's room was," said Dumbledore, remembering what he had seen of the house as well.

Andromeda thought about it for a moment, and decided to think on the past some other time.

"While I am very thankful Harry is alive, I am still very unhappy this happened in the first place," she said. "Things like this did not happen when Ted and I were students here, nor when Nymphadora went here."

"I will concede that it is a rare occurrence," said Dumbledore. "But not unexpected. With all manner of things dwelling within the Forbidden Forest, it is only a matter of time before something ventures close to the castle. Hence the reason the forest is named so."

"I wondered about that during my time here," said Andromeda. "Most students had their theories as to why."

"It is not light heartedly done so," said Dumbledore. "It is why every headmaster and headmistress has made a point to remind every student at the beginning of each school year not to go there. Of course, there are the few students who venture forth anyways… Usually those from Gryffindor."

Dumbledore had a faint smile on his face as he remembered his time as a student in Gryffindor house and how some of the older students would dare each other to spend the night in the forest as a test of their true bravery.

"Very well then," Andromeda said. "As I can see that this is no fault of your own, I shall let the matter drop."

"Then allow me to escort you to the hospital wing so you can be with Harry," said Dumbledore.

"That's fine," said Andromeda. "Ted is already there. Plus, there is another matter I wish to bring up with you. Something Harry has written home about in almost every one of his letters. Something about your potions teacher."

OoOoOoOoOoO

Ted Tonks was in the hospital wing of Hogwarts, sitting in a chair next to the bed Harry was currently sleeping in as Madam Pomfrey finished healing the last of the minor injuries of the students from the Halloween Feast before sending them back to their house.

"He's been through so much, hasn't he?" asked Ted as Madam Pomfrey walked over and waved her wand over Harry, checking his vitals.

"That he has," the healer said. "Much more than anyone his age should have to endure. And yet…"

"Yet?" asked Ted.

"There is something very special about him," said Madam Pomfrey. "And I don't just mean what happened to him ten years ago. He has a magical core unlike anything I have ever seen in all my years."

"Really?" asked Ted.

"Oh, yes," said Madam Pomfrey as she finished checking Harry over and put her wand away. "When Minerva brought him here during the summer, I did a full check up on Mr. Potter, and was surprised by how strong his magical core was. Now, four months later, it's gone up nearly ten percent. That might not seem a lot, but when compared to the size it was before… Well, let's just say that within a few years, he could easily out duel the Headmaster."

Ted let out a low whistle in surprise.

Just then, Harry let out a quiet groan and started to move.

"Ugh, what happened?" Harry asked, feeling very tired and a bit sore.

"Hey kiddo," said Ted with a small smile. "How are you doing?"

"Ted?" Harry asked, wondering why the man was there.

"Yeah, it's me," he said.

"Why are you…" Harry started to ask when the events of the evening came rushing back to him. He quickly sat up in his bed and looked around for the troll.

"Relax Mr. Potter," Madam Pomfrey said as she gently pushed him back so he was lying down again. "You've put a bit of strain on your magical core tonight. You need rest."

"But the troll?" Harry asked.

"Is gone," she said. "Thanks to you."

"Me?" asked Harry as Madam Pomfrey went to her office to get a few potions.

"Yes, you," said Ted. "Seems you blasted that troll right through the castle… Literally. Andi and I saw Professor Flitwick finishing up fixing the hole you made when you blasted the troll through the wall when we arrived."

"I did what now?" asked Harry.

"That's what everyone is saying," said Ted.

Harry groaned, thinking that now everyone was going to be looking at him and talking about him even more than they already were.

Madam Pomfrey returned and stuck a vial of potion in front of Harry's face.

"Drink this," she said. "It will help speed up the recovery of your core."

Harry sat up and took the vial, looking at the dark purple liquid inside before taking it and downing it as fast as he could.

"ELGH!" said Harry, making a bit of a face. "Tastes like the way rotten garbage smells."

"Yes, yes," said Madam Pomfrey as she rolled her eyes. "Potions taste nasty. We've been over this before. Now drink this one. It will help you sleep."

"Not sleepy," said Harry.

"Which is why I am giving you a potion to help you sleep," said Madam Pomfrey. "Please, do not be a bother with this like your father was. You did so much better when I gave you potions during the summer."

"That was before I knew some of the weird stuff that goes into them," said Harry as he reluctantly took the second vial from the healer. "Wait, what did you say about my dad?"

"He frequented here during his time as a student," said Madam Pomfrey. "At least once a month after some prank he tried to pull went wrong, or he was hexed by someone from Slytherin in retaliation for a prank that was pulled, or injury during Quidditch. Not to mention the once a month bruises he obtained in general rough housing with his friends during his last couple of years. I do not know what it was about them and a full moon that made the four of them act the way they did."

"Teenage hormones," Ted said with a grin. "Makes even the best of us do foolish things. Something for you to look forward to."

Ted ruffled Harry's hair, making it look even messier than it already was, and causing the young wizard to grown outwardly and smile inwardly and thinking that it was nice to have a real family.

OoOoOoOoOoO

Alastor Moody and Tonks stood off to the side of the interrogation room, each of them with their wand in hand, just in case, as they stared at Gregory Nott, who glared at them with a look of pure hatred.

"You know," Moody said, "I always regreated not catching you in the act ten years ago."

"What are you babbling about?" asked Nott.

"Oh, come on," said Moody. "You know what I'm talking about. All those things you did for your precious little dark lord."

"I was imperioused," said Nott. "I had no choice."

"So you say," said Moody, his eye swirling around in his head. "But you and I both know that's a complete pile of centaur shit. Your line has followed every dark witch or wizard that makes a play for power going all the way back to Morgana herself."

"You cannot hold me responsible for the actions of my ancestors," said Nott.

"No, I can't," agreed Moody. "But I can hold you accountable for your own actions… But like I said, I regret not catching you then. It annoyed me to no end. Little did I know that I would get you one day. And for embezzlement of all things. You really are a fool for that one."

"Please," said Nott with an air of superiority. "Even if I was guilty, the Wizengamot will dismiss the charges."

"And what about your attempt to cast an unforgivable?" asked Moody.

"But I didn't," said Nott with a smile of his own. "You stunned me before I cast anything. And since it won't show up on my wand, you can't charge me for that."

"Damn," said Moody as he looked at Tonks. "He's got me by the short and curlies on that one… Shame he's wrong about the charges being dismissed."

"What are you talking about?" asked Nott. "The Wizengamot would never send a pureblood such as myself to Azkaban."

Moody smiled at Nott and said, "Lad, whoever said anything about the Wizengamot? The money from Hogwarts was withdrawn from Gringotts under false pretences. According to section eight, sub-section fifty three, by-law nineteen of the treaty with the goblin nation, said goblin nation reserves first right at trial and punishment if they so chose. While Tonks here was booking you, I contacted the goblin representative here in the Ministry, and he spoke to his boss within Gringotts and they have decided to invoke that part of the treaty."

"You mean…" Nott started to ask, the air of confidence he had been projecting gone in a flash.

"Yes," said Moody. "The goblins will be trying you for your crime, not the Ministry. And let me tell you, their trials don't last long. I suspect that come sunrise, you'll be feeling the executioners' blade on the back of your neck… Let's just hope it's nice and sharp. Otherwise, you could end you looking like Sir Nicolas' ghost over at Hogwarts."

Gregory Nott suddenly felt sick to his stomach, and even more so when the door to the room opened and five armored goblins walked in along with a sixth goblin dressed in a very finely tailored suit.

"Speak of the devil," said Moody.

"We are here for the thief," said the goblin in the suit.

"He's all your," said Moody as he gestured to Nott.

The five armored goblins bound Nott in a set of chains around his body, giving him just barely enough slack to walk.

"You made a foolish mistake committing fraud against the goblin nation," said the goblin in the suit. "And after another thief broke into a vault and vanished this summer, I do believe the ruling council will take great pleasure in sentencing you."

That was all Nott could take as he proceeded to empty the contents of his stomach on the floor in front of him.

"Pathetic," said the goblin in the suit. "Take him away."

The armored goblins marched Nott out of the room and the goblin in the suit turned to Moody.

"The goblin nation thanks you for your assistance," he said.

"No problem," said Moody. "May your gold be vast and your enemies cower in fear."

The goblin in the suit gave a brief nod before leaving the room.

"What was that you said at the end?" asked Tonks as the door closed.

"Just a polite saying the goblins use," said Moody. "It's stupid to be disrespectful to them. Especially since all of the gold of Wizarding Britain is in their control and they could economically crush us in a heartbeat. That's another lesson for you. There are times when you need to be a cold hearted bitch, and other times when you need to remember respect."

Tonks nodded her head, and not for the first, nor the last time, was she thankful she had been teamed up with one of the greatest aurors Magical Britain had ever known, as she doubted she would be learning as much as she was about the subtleties of the job from anyone else. Even if the man was a bit suspicious of everyone and possibly a hairs breath away from losing him mind due to paranoia.

OoOoOoOoOoO

Neville, Hermione, Susan, and Hannah sat in the corner of their common room while the rest of the members of their house milled about, talking and enjoying the replacement Halloween feast that the house elves had put together. The Fat Friar floated next to the entrance barrel, talking to one of the seventh year prefects as he made sure none of the students tried to sneak out since all students were confined to their houses after the events of the evening.

"I still can't believe it," Susan said. "Two mountain trolls fighting in the Great Hall."

"I can't believe that Harry blasted one of them through the wall," said Hannah.

"Neither do I," said Neville. "And I was there and saw it happen."

The four of them looked around the room and noticed a few of the students were also talking about what had happened.

"This is going to be tough on Harry," said Hermione.

"What do you mean?" asked Hannah.

"Well, you know how he's already uncomfortable with how some people already stare at him and talk about him being who he is behind his back?" asked Hermione and the other three nodded. "Well, just imagine how much worse it's going to be now after this."

"You're right," said Susan. "I didn't even think of that, I was so worried about thinking about what had happened."

"Should we say something about leaving Harry alone to everyone else?" asked Neville.

"No," said Hermione. "I would be pointless, really. Telling people not to bother Harry with it would be like trying to tell people to ignore an elephant in the room… No, I think all we can really do is just be supportive to Harry and not make a big deal about it so he can feel comfortable and be himself."

"I agree," said Susan.

"Me too," said Neville. "I don't want Harry freaking out about how everyone is going to treat him after this. He's helped me to try and be more confident in myself since we first met on the train, and also been my first real friend. I don't want to lose that."

Hermione and Susan both nodded in agreement and understanding.

"Okay, this might sound stupid, by why would there be an elephant in a room?" asked a confused Hannah.

OoOoOoOoOoO

Cornelius Fudge, the British Minster for Magic, was just finishing up his day and packing up to head home when he heard a commotion outside his office.

"The Minister is just heading home," he heard his secretary say just before the door burst open and in walked Lucius Malfoy.

"How can you let this happen?" Lucius demanded.

"How can I what now?" asked a completely confused Fudge.

"Gregory Nott," said Lucius. "Handed over to the goblins to be executed."

"Impossible," said Fudge. "I haven't heard anything about that. For that matter, why would the goblins want to execute him?"

"He's been accused of stealing funds from the Hogwarts treasury," said Lucius. "Bones and a bunch of other witches interrupted our monthly meeting about some silly notion that the school needed new brooms. Personally, I think they made up this false accusation regarding him stealing money in order to blackmail the Board of Governors into getting these new brooms, and now an innocent man will die because of it."

Lucius watched as the Minister fell back into his chair and slumped down, and did his best not to smirk as the fool believed his lie. Lucius had dug around after the meeting had ended and Nott was in fact siphoning off Galleons from the school, tucking it away into a hidden account that he had set up with a group of gnomes in the Cayman Islands.

"This cannot stand," Fudge said after a moment of silence. "I will not allow an upstanding member of our society to be executed by those greedy little creatures. Probably came up with this idea with one of those witches so they could seize his vault and claim the contents as theirs to recuperate their loses."

Lucius once again had to stop himself from grinning. The Minister had always been so easy to manipulate, and the fool had such an over active imagination, all he ever had to do was give him a bit of information and his mind made up the rest. And that always led to one thing…

"My numbers would take a huge hit if he is killed," said Fudge. "Any chance of re-election would go right down the drain."

"We cannot let that happen," said Lucius. "This Ministry, no, all of wizarding Britain needs you as Minister for Magic. It could never function as well as it does without a man as competent and wise as you."

Lucius also knew that stroking Fudge's ego was the second best way to manipulate him. The first was gold.

"You must do something about this now before it is too late," Lucius continued. "Not only is Nott a good friend, he is also your second highest campaign contributor. Your first being me, and if he were to be executed… Well, to be honest, my faith in you being able to lead the wizarding world would be brought into question."

Fudge went slightly pale at hearing that. He knew that without Lucius and a few others, his chances of keeping his job were less than slim and none.

"Fine," Fudge finally said. "Give me half an hour to make a few floo calls. I need to contact people that will not go blabbing to Amelia or anyone else before we rescue Nott."

OoOoOoOoOoO

**A/N:** Uh oh. The events of Halloween are about to come to a head. And you thought all it would be about was a little problem with a silly mountain troll. To think, all of this started because McGonagall wanted to personally bring Harry his Hogwarts letter. And if this much has changed because of that one event, what else will be different because of it.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10 – Change Is In The Air**

_Ministry Standoff In Diagon Alley_

_By: Rita Skeeter_

_As the last shops were closing late Halloween night, activity in the magical shopping district really began to pick up when our very own Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge, arrived with six aurors to contest the recent arrest and prisoner transfer of Gregory Nott, who was being accused of illegally obtaining funds from the Hogwarts school account. Unfortunately for the Minister and his aurors, Madam Amelia Bones, head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, was waiting in front of Gringotts along with over a dozen of her own aurors, including famed auror Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody, and a representative of the goblin nation who refused to give his name._

_Minister Fudge demanded that Madam Bones and her aurors step aside and allow him and his selection of aurors into the bank to free Gregory Nott, who Fudge said was being held unjustly before an innocent man was murdered. Madam Bones refused, stating that if Minister Fudge and his aurors stepped one foot into the bank with their current plans in mind, the goblin nation would view that as an act of war, dissolving the treaty that has been in place since the 1700's, to which the goblin on the scene confirmed would happen and said that the blame for a war between the goblin nation and wizarding Britain, if not the world, would fall squarely on his head._

"_That is if it still remains on your shoulders if Chief Ragnok allows you to keep it after a surely bloody and violent war," added the goblin with a frighteningly nasty smile._

_It was only after a tense few minutes that the few onlookers still around at the time said felt like hours finally ended with the Minister and his aurors standing down and returning to the Ministry._

_The question I must ask, my faithful readers, is why our dear Minister was willing to risk a war against the goblin nation over a single wizard. A wizard where there was sufficient evidence of his guilt on file both at the Ministry and at Gringotts bank. I must also ask if a man that overlooks the facts in front of him is trustworthy enough to lead the people of wizarding Britain._

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Lucius Malfoy crumpled up the special edition of the Daily Prophet before throwing it into the fire in his private study.

"Incompetent fool," Lucius growled as he stormed over to his liquor cabinet and poured himself a drink, despite it being early in the morning. He downed the drink quickly, feeling it burn his throat as he did, before he started pacing back and forth. Lucius knew things would not end well with this. Not when so many negative aspects of what he had planed to do would result in if this was brought to light.

This left Lucius with one of two options. Stand by the Minister's side and try to salvage what he could of the situation, or distance himself as much as possible and leave the man to his fate.

"Fuck him," Lucius said. He would just have to make sure that whoever was elected to replace Fudge was as big a fool so he could easily manipulate them. And if not… Well, accidents did happen all the time.

OoOoOoOoOoO

SH-THUNK!

The head of Gregory Nott rolled across the stone floor of one of the inner chambers hidden deep within Gringotts bank. Far deeper down than the high security vaults guarded by the dragon.

"The sentence has been carried out," said Chief Ragnok of the goblin nation. "Let the record show that the human once known as Gregory Nott has paid for his crime by decapitation, as decided by the ruling council of the goblin nation. And send a copy to the human Ministry for their own records as well."

"And his vault?" asked Morthok.

"Reclaim all that was taken and return it to the Hogwarts vault, as it is rightfully their money," said Ragnok. "Plus twenty percent for ourselves as payment for his crime. The rest will be handed over to his surviving kin. After all, we are not monsters, despite what some wizards may think of us."

"And him?" asked Forktooth. "Shall we display his head on a pike out front of the bank as a warning to any other that might wish to steal from us?"

Ragnok stared at the headless corpse for a moment.

"No," he finally said. "That shall not be necessary. Word shall spread of his death soon enough. Plus, humans are weak of stomach. The sight of a head might turn business away, and that is not profitable for us… Feed him to Glenda. I'm sure she would appreciate a treat that isn't the usual herd of cattle that she usually feasts on."

OoOoOoOoOoO

Quirrell sat curled up in the corner of his private quarters, shaking and cowering in fear from an attacker he could not escape.

The Dark Lord had been most displeased at Quirrell's failure to kill Harry Potter the previous night, so much that he spent hour after hour manipulating the nervous system in his body to simulate the cruciatus curse on the man. Each time he did so, he would stop just before reaching the point where his mind would break from the pain and allow him a brief moment of respite before starting all over again, for the most feared dark wizard does not suffer fools, nor failure lightly.

Finally, when the sun started to rise that morning, Voldemort put an end to his punishment of the man, saying that he hoped he learned his lesson and did not disappoint him again.

The Dark Lord's anger returned shortly after that with the arrival of the Daily Prophet, which resulted in another hour long round of torture for his puppet before he started to feel his essence start to grow weak yet once more and ordered Quirrell back into the Forbidden Forest to drink fresh unicorn blood before anyone else in the castle awoke and discovered him.

And now Quirrell sat huddled in the corner, feeling slightly ill after drinking three pints of unicorn blood, though not as bad as he had felt that very first time.

"We must change our plans," Voldemort said from the back of Quirrell's bald head. "The boy is more powerful than I first believed. Simple tricks and traps will not be enough to kill him… No… I must be at full strength in order to do this myself… I must have the stone, and soon."

OoOoOoOoOoO

Severus Snape ascended the stairs that led to Dumbledore's office, wondering what the Headmaster needed to see him about so urgently that morning.

Snape had just woken up when one of the school house elves popped into his private room and told him that his presence was requested by the Headmaster before popping away.

So after slicking back his hair and putting on a clean set of black robes, Snape made the long trek up from the deepest part of the dungeons where he lived, up to the second floor entrance to Dumbledore's office.

"Come in Severus," Dumbledore said just as Snape was lifting his hand to knock on the wooden door.

Snape opened the door and seemed to glide into the room by the way his robes flowed behind him as he walked.

"You wished to speak with me?" Snape asked.

"I did," Dumbledore said, sounding quite tired due to the fact that he had not slept at all the previous night. "Please, have a seat."

Snape sat down in one of the chairs and looked at the wizard sitting across from him, who had conjured a kettle along with a couple of cups and was making a pot of tea for the both of them.

"You still take two sugars, yes?" asked Dumbledore, and Snape nodded.

Dumbledore handed the potions master a cup of tea before sitting back and taking a sip of his own cup.

"I have had a very long night last night," Dumbledore finally said. "First the incident with the trolls. Parents wanting to know that their children are alright. And then early this morning I received an owl from the International Confederation of Wizards in regards to the competency of our Minister, who it would seem that last night he and a small selection of aurors had planed to raid Gringotts in some attempt at rescuing a prisoner that had been caught stealing from the goblins, and also came close to starting a new war with the goblins as well if he had not turned away when confronted by the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement… Suffice to say, things will be very hectic around the Ministry till the beginning of the new year since it would seem that the Minister will be forced out of office and a new Minister will need to be selected. And as head of the Wizengamot, that means I shall be quite busy as well. Which brings me as to why I have summoned you here this morning. I want to get this problem cleared up as quickly as possible."

"Problem?" asked Snape. "What problem?"

"Last night, Andromeda Tonks came to see me about Harry," Dumbledore said. "Not surprising, considering what had happened last night."

"You mean how the idiot child nearly killed himself by standing there like a fool?" asked Snape. "Not to mention causing damage to the school."

Dumbledore sighed slightly, seeing that perhaps what Andromeda had mentioned was correct.

"What happened last night was no more Harry's fault that it was yours," said Dumbledore. "The young boy was obviously stricken with fear at the sight of the troll, and as for the spell, it was nothing more than accidental magic caused by that fear… No, what I am talking about are the accusations of your attitude towards him in your class."

"I have no idea what you are talking about," said Snape. "I treat Potter no differently than any other incompetent student that wastes my time."

"Right there," Dumbledore said, "what you just said about your students leads me to believe that some of what I have been told is in fact true."

"The brat is incompetent with no idea how to brew a simple potion," spat Snape.

"He is a first year student that grew up with no knowledge of our world till only a month before coming here to Hogwarts," said Dumbledore. "Of course he does not know what he is doing. It is your responsibility as a professor to instruct and educate him."

"I've tried," said Snape. "He refuses to listen and instead wastes my time."

Dumbledore slowly nodded his head for a moment before he pulled out a sheet of parchment that Andromeda had given him.

"I have here a list of complaints from Andromeda in regards to your actions and behavior towards Harry," said Dumbledore. "The first on this list is that when you took role for the very first class Harry was in, you singled him out as a celebrity."

"Just to take some of the wind out of his sail," said Snape. "I overheard him bragging about how great it was to be him and loved by everyone. I did nothing more than to remind him that he will not be treated special just because of who he is."

"Harry has never once asked for any kind of special treatment since I first met him," said Dumbledore. "In fact, from what I have observed and what his head of house has kept me informed on is that he is quite uncomfortable when anyone makes a big deal about who he is."

"Then obviously Professor Sprout has been blinded to the truth," said Snape. "Probably she is still in awe that her house, known for taking in the castoffs of the wizarding world, has someone that is actually known for something. Which I still doubt he had anything to do with the fall of the Dark Lord."

Dumbledore stared at Snape for a moment before deciding to continue.

"Another complaint is that you asked him questions beyond first year knowledge during his first class," said the Headmaster.

"I simply wished to gauge the knowledge base of the class," said Snape. "To know what I would be dealing with and to see if perhaps if any of them might be predisposed of the gift that is the art of potion making."

"I see," said Dumbledore. "I would commend you for that if the complaint did not also state that you ignored other students trying to answer the questions and singled Harry out in answering them."

"Does it also make mention of how when he failed to answer my questions that he insulted me?" asked Snape. "Of course not, because it would be a shame if Saint Potter was viewed by anyone in a negative light."

"Actually, it does mention that he made a remark about your hair," said Dumbledore, seeing the slightly surprised look on Snape's face. "Which was in response to you insulting him by asking if he was too incompetent to tie his own shoes. While I do disagree with how Harry reacted, it is not surprising in the least. He is still a child after all, and children will sometimes act out when confronted as the way you were doing. However, since it also states that you deducted points for his comment and his family is not contesting that, we shall move on."

"What else are they claiming I have done?" asked Snape, who was starting to grow rather annoyed.

"They bring up the issue of safety in your class," said Dumbledore. "On multiple occasions, cauldrons have exploded in your classroom. Three of them have been Harry's."

"I cannot be held responsible if they refuse to pay attention to the directions," said Snape.

"Which brings up their biggest complaint," said Dumbledore. "That you do not actually teach the class, and in fact only put directions of how to brew the potion on the board and expect them to brew it perfectly without any further instruction."

"And?" asked Snape, not seeing the problem.

Dumbledore sat back in his chair and let out a sigh as he removed his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose before putting his half moon spectacles back on. He stared at the man sitting across from him for a few moments, gathering his thoughts and decided to ask the question that had been on his mind since Andromeda had brought this to his attention.

"Tell me Severus, how do you feel about James Potter?" asked Dumbledore.

Snape sneered for a moment and said, "I detest the man. He was nothing but a pain in my backside for the seven years we were in school together. It is his fault that Lily turned on me."

"Did she" Dumbledore asked. "Because I do remember hearing about an incident during your fifth year that leads me to believe you turned against her."

"I was stupid and let my anger get the better of me and said something I shouldn't have," said Snape. "But that was also because of Potter's fault. Humiliating me like that in front of everyone. It was because of him she was no longer my friend."

"Was it?" asked Dumbledore. "Remember, there is not much that happens within these walls that I do not eventually learn about. And I remember one of the paintings telling me of how a few days latter that Lily had decided to talk to you and forgive you for what had happened and how you were the one that walked away from her, saying that you didn't need someone like her as a friend. That you had made better… Purer friends… That was when you fully turned to the dark, wasn't it?"

"My choices in my past are just that," said Snape. "The past. I am no longer that man."

"And yet you let the past cloud your judgment about Harry because of who his father is," said Dumbledore. "I am not completely blind to how you behave in your class. I know that you prefer the stick to the carrot, as it were. But I have never seen you go out of your way to treat a student badly such as you have with Harry. Hasn't the boy suffered enough by your actions in the past that you cannot let him be?"

"You still hold that over my head?" asked Snape.

"You cannot escape from your past sins," said Dumbledore. "No matter how far you try to run from them."

"I didn't know he would go after them," said Snape. "That he would kill her."

"I know you didn't," Dumbledore said. "But unknowingly or not, you played a part in the life Harry was forced to live from that night forward. You are partly responsible for the person Harry has grown up to be. However, he is not the person you claim him to be."

"He is an insufferable brat," spat Snape. "Just like his father. Why am I the only one able to see it?"

"Because that is how you choose to see him," said Dumbledore. "You do not choose to see Harry, but instead you choose to see his father when everyone else says that they see more of his mother in him than anything else. And in many ways, he is like neither of them. The fact that he was sorted into Hufflepuff should be proof enough that Harry has grown into his own person and not just a copy of his parents."

"You can spout the gossip of the great Harry Potter all you want," said Snape. "I know the truth about that boy, and nothing will change how I feel about him."

Dumbledore sighed once again. He had hoped that he could talk some reason into the man, but it was obvious that he would hold onto the past until his dying breath.

"Very well," Dumbledore said. "You leave me with no choice in this matter than to place you on probation."

"WHAT?!" shouted Snape as he jumped to his feet.

"The school rules require me to give you thirty days to change your ways," said Dumbledore. "If it had been up to Mrs. Tonks, you would have been fired immediately. However, I have convinced her to allow you the chance to change."

"You cannot be serious?" asked Snape, who could not believe that this was happening.

"During your probationary period, myself or another professor will be present during all of your classes," Dumbledore continued. "You will be held to the rules the founders set forth in regards to the behavior of Hogwarts professors. All points that you give and deduct will be reviewed as well to ensure that they have been fairly given, as will all punishments."

"So I can no longer assign detention?" asked Snape.

"You may, as long as it is deserved," said Dumbledore. "I wish I did not have to do this Severus, but after talking to you, I can see that perhaps a small part of you still clings onto the man you used to be… Now, if you will excuse me. I must talk to Minerva about the coming month as I am sure with the situation at the Ministry, I will be gone from the castle quite often in my role as Chief Warlock."

OoOoOoOoOoO

Harry stopped dead in his tracks just a few feet shy of the entrance to the Great Hall, where he could hear the loud conversations of the student within. It took his friends a second to notice that Harry has stopped.

"Something wrong?" asked Hannah. "Because I'm starving this morning since I didn't have much of an appetite last night and didn't eat."

"I don't know if I can do this," said Harry. "I mean… After last night, they must all think I'm a bit of a freak."

"Who cares what they think," said Susan. "Besides, if anyone keeps bothering you about it, I'll kick them in the shin."

"Me too," said Hannah.

"And I'll inform one of the professors that you are being harassed," Hermione added.

They all looked at Neville, who shied away a bit at being under everyone's gaze before he took a deep breath and said, "I'll have your back."

Harry could tell that it had taken a lot for Neville to say that, knowing how nervous and shy the boy was, and that gave Harry strength as well.

"Okay," Harry said, nodding his head. "Let's go eat."

However, as Harry and his friends entered the Great Hall, it would have seemed that they had been worried for no reason as no one paid them any more attention than usual.

"This is weirding me out a bit," said Harry as they sat down at the Hufflepuff table. "I expected everyone to stop talking and stare at me when I walked in. Instead, they're all acting like I don't exist."

"It does seem a bit odd," Hermione said as she looked around and noticed most of the students had copies of the morning paper with them.

"Bloody hell," Hannah said when she picked up a paper on the table nearby.

"Language," Hermione scolded before Hannah showed them all the headline on the front page.

"Bloody hell," Hermione quietly said after she finished reading the article.

"What was the Minister thinking?" asked Neville.

"He never does," Susan said. "Or, at least that's what my auntie says about him. He never does anything, big or small, without consulting someone first. Usually it's Professor Dumbledore, but I doubt that he would have given the Minister advice that could lead to a war with the goblins."

"Maybe it was a friend of that Nott guy," Harry said. "Wait, isn't there a Nott in our year?"

"Yes," said Hermione. "He's in Slytherin."

They all turned to look at the Slytherin table and saw the young boy they were looking for being consoled by a few of his fellow house mates while others seemed to look quite upset about what they had read in the paper.

"While I feel bad for what happened to Nott's dad," said Harry, "as I kind of know how he must be feeling. Though, maybe not as much as I never really knew my parents. Still, a part of me is a little grateful about what happened as it means that I'm not the center of attention… That makes me sound like a bad person, doesn't it?"

"No, of course not," Hermione was quickly to assure him. "Besides, as you said, you feel bad for him."

"Plus, it's not his death that is what is distracting everyone," added Susan. "It was the Minister's actions last night."

"Exactly," said Hermione. "Since I actually stay awake during History of Magic…"

Everyone looked a little guilty as she said that since none of them had yet managed to remain awake through one of Professor Binns' lectures.

"… not to mention that I've already read the entire history book, I know how brutal a war with the goblins can be. Though, perhaps the book is a bit biased as it was written by a wizard, and history is always written by the victors of war who can paint the picture of the enemy in any light that they wish."

"No, the books about the goblin war is pretty accurate," said Hannah after she swallowed a mouthful of waffles. "They can be quite vicious when given reason to be. And stealing gold from them is a good reason for them to pull a Queen of Hearts."

"Queen of who?" asked Neville.

"The Queen of Hearts is a character from a book," said Hermione. "She had a tendency to have people she didn't like or felt that they didn't respect her enough, or just because she was bored, to have their heads chopped off by proclaiming, 'Off with their head'."

"I remember my cousin watching a cartoon movie about that," said Harry. "It was called, 'Alice in…' something. I never really got a chance to see it."

"Alice in Wonderland," Hermione said. "It was a Disney movie. Back during the time that movie came out, they had a tendency to make movies that always had some scene that would surely disturb children… Like Bambi."

Hermione started to get a little misty eyed as she thought about that movie with the little deer in it before she shook her head to try and get rid of the bad images it left her with.

"Old Yeller was the worst," Hannah said, her shoulders slumping at the memory of the film.

"Do either of you know what they are talking about?" Susan asked Harry and Neville, both of whom shook their heads no.

"Hope that you never do, because they are very sad movies," Hermione said as Hannah wiped the tears from her eyes on the sleeve of her robe.

OoOoOoOoOoO

Minister Cornelius Fudge sat slumped in his office chair, his hands over his ears as countless Howlers shouted at him all at once. And while it was hard to discern what one was saying over the other, he was able to pick out a few choice words such as imbecile, moron, buffoon, incompetent, stupid, prat, git, and a few more colorful words that one usually does not say in the presence of polite company or children.

To make matters worse, he had just received a return owl to the one he had sent Lucius that morning after reading the story in the Daily Prophet, and it was not what he had expected at all.

In the letter, Lucius made it quite clear that he had no intention of helping Fudge to worm his way out of the mess he had made, and that if he even tried to implicate him as being involved in any way, that he had evidence that would ruin Fudge for the rest of his life and possibly even see him sent to Azkaban. And even if he did not care about his own future, he had countless friends that would testify that he had been within their company during the time he was talking to the Minister, making it look like the last desperate act of a man trying to find someone else to blame for his mistake.

Of course, Fudge could have used that letter as proof, had it not been charmed to dissolve within minutes after it had been delivered.

Lucius Malfoy could be called many things, but an idiot was not one of them. He had not avoided Azkaban after the fall of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named by being a fool. He had made all sorts of plans and back up plans for any eventuality that took place in order to cover his own ass.

And so it was that Cornelius Fudge was left floating down the river alone and without a paddle. The ICW was calling for his dismissal from office, and things within Britain weren't much better due to the article that Rita Skeeter had written, which was proven by the countless letters and Howlers that were slowly filling his office.

Finally, when he could no longer stand the constant chaos of the Howlers yelling at him, Fudge started snatching as many as he could into his arms and started throwing them into the fire in his fireplace.

This was how Amelia Bones found him when she walked into his office, rushing back and forth between his desk and fireplace.

"I do hope that none of that is incriminating evidence," she said over the noise of the Howlers.

Fudge jumped in surprise, dropping an armful of letters.

"What?" he said. "No. Of course not. How dare you insinuate that I would be up to anything illegal."

"Well after last night, oh for heavens sake, finite," Amelia said as she pulled out and waved her wand, causing all of the Howlers to go silent and drop to the floor.

"Much better," she said as she put her wand away.

Fudge straitened himself and said, "I would have done that myself, but I felt it best to listen to the complaints of the witches and wizards of Britain."

"Of course you did," said Amelia, though she was not buying his claim for a second, as she knew that he was a pretty poor wizard, just barely managing to pass the core classes during his N.E.W.T. year.

"Anyways, the reason I am here is to inform you that the Wizengamot will require your presence this afternoon at one to hear your side of the story of the events of last night," said Amelia.

"They aren't wasting any time on this, are they?" Fudge asked as he sat down behind his desk.

"Honestly, Cornelius, can you blame them?" asked Amelia. "You nearly started a war with the goblins for Merlin's sake. It's only been ten years since the war ended against You-Know-Who and his followers, and we've finally been able to get things back to the way they used to be before that war started last year. Not to mention that because of your refusal to increase the budget in my department, there would have been no way that anyone in Magical Law Enforcement would have been able to stand up against the goblins for long. It would have been days, a week at the most, before the Ministry fell to them. Not to mention that our entire financial economy is held in their hands. You risked the entire well being of all of magical Britain last night."

"You think I don't know that?" Fudge nearly shouted.

"Then why did you do it?" asked Amelia, who was really curious as to why he would have risked it all.

"It's not important," said Fudge as Lucius' threat echoed inside his mind. "Now, if you shall excuse me, there are things that I must do before the meeting later today."

Fudge pretended to make himself look busy and Amelia sighed internally as she watched the man completely dismiss the obvious help she was offering him before she turned and left the office.

OoOoOoOoOoO

Snape fumed as he took stock of his potion supplies, something he always did whenever he was upset. Since the beginning of the school year, Snape had gone through his potion supplies more than a dozen times, and it was all Potter's fault. Every time he saw the young wizard, Snape could feel the hatred well up inside him to the point where he wanted nothing more than to curse that cocky smile right off of James' face. But of course, he couldn't do that, as it was unbecoming of a Hogwarts professor.

Snape growled as he replayed his meeting with Dumbledore over in him mind. The man had practically treated him like an impudent child. The probation was ludicrous in his mind. He had done nothing wrong. But Potter had whined like a little child about how life was unfair and the world bowed down before him and gave him what he wanted. And now because of it, Snape would be watched over by others in the same way he deals with the incompetent students he was forced to teach year after year. With a judging eye just waiting for the tiniest of slip ups so he could swoop down upon them and point out just how worthless they really are.

"I'll show them," Snape said to himself. "I will show them all that Potter is nothing more than a spoiled little brat that is manipulating all of them. I'll do as the Headmaster said. I will be nice and ignore the boy, who will foolishly let his guard down. And then, when he least expects it, I will catch him in the act and everyone will see just how rotten he truly is."

The potion master allowed a small smile to creep across his face as he continued to sort through his potion ingredients and dreamed of the day when he would no longer have to deal with Harry Potter.

OoOoOoOoOoO

It was just after one in the afternoon when the Wizengamot met up inside of courtroom ten.

"I call to order this special emergency session of the Wizengamot to discuss the recent actions of our current Minster for Magic, Cornelius Oswald Fudge, with I, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore presiding over this session in my role as Chief Warlock. I now ask that all members currently here identify themselves along with their position in the Ministry if applicable for the record."

"Madam Amelia Susan Bones, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement."

"Lady Augusta Longbottom."

"Dolores Jane Umbridge, Senior Undersecretary to the Minster for Magic."

"Bartemius Crouch Sr., Department of International Magical Cooperation."

"Elphias Doge."

"Tiberius Ogden."

"Madam Griselda Marchbanks. Governor of the Wizarding Examinations Authority."

"Very good," Dumbledore said. "Now, as I said, we are here to…"

Dumbledore stopped talking when the door to the courtroom opened and a woman walked in.

"Pardon my lateness," the woman said. "I am afraid I was delayed trying to make my way through the chaos the press gathering in the Atrium is causing."

Everyone looked at each other slightly confused.

"Mrs. Malfoy, your presence here was not requested," Dumbledore said. "This is a closed meeting."

"To which I shall be a part of," Narcissa Malfoy said. "The Black family has a seat on the Wizengamot, and as I am the only one with Black blood that is currently not deceased or imprisoned, in this time of need. And I dare say that the current situation with Minister Fudge falls under that heading, does it not?"

"It does," Dumbledore said. "My apologies. Rarely has the Black seat been filled during these past ten years that I tend to forget it is still active."

"Accepted," Narcissa said as she joined the rest of the members of the Wizengamot.

Fudge paled slightly when he saw the look Narcissa gave him. It was obvious to him that she had been sent there by her husband to ensure he kept him mouth shut.

"Where were we?" asked Dumbledore. "Ah yes… We are gathered here today to discuss the recent actions of our current Minister for Magic and to decide if vote of no confidence needs to be held in regards to his actions. Minister Fudge, do you have anything to say on your behalf before we begin?"

Fudge stood up from his seat and looked around at all the faces of the members of the Wizengamot. Some of them looked less than pleased with him.

"Last night I acted in what at the time I believed to be in the best interest of wizarding Britain," Fudge said. "Unfortunately, I did not have all of the facts and did not know that Gregory Nott was guilty of stealing funds from the Hogwarts account, and thus from the goblins themselves. Had I known, I would not have taken the actions that I did last night."

"Minister Fudge, may I ask from whom you received your information?" asked Amelia.

Fudge looked at Narcissa for a brief moment before saying, "It came by an anonymous owl."

"So it was not Lucius Malfoy who told you about it?" asked Amelia.

"No," said Fudge. "O-of course not."

"I object to you trying to implicate my husband in what happened," said Narcissa.

"I mean no offence," Amelia said. "I just find it odd that Lucius had visited the Minister shortly before this happened, and seeming quite upset at the time when he did."

"And just where did you hear that from?" asked Narcissa.

"From the Minister's secretary," Amelia said. "When I questioned her this morning to see if she might have noticed any indication about what would happen."

"Madam Bones, I am afraid that Amanda, the Minister's _former_ secretary, cannot be trusted," Umbridge said. "She has made… Passes at the Minister in the past. Any statement she has made could very well be viewed as personal retribution for his refusal to accept her in the way she desired. In fact, I was forced to let her go just before coming to this meeting when I found her looking through the Minister's personal items in his office."

"I see," said Amelia. "However, her statement was in regards to Mr. Malfoy, not the Minister. So unless she made any flirtatious advancements towards him, I do not see the point of bringing that up unless you wish to distract the Wizengamot from the facts."

Umbridge smiled sweetly at Amelia and said, "Of course not."

"Very good," Amelia said. "So, Minister… What was the nature of your meeting with Mr. Malfoy last night?"

"He was upset," Fudge said.

"Yes, I covered that," said Amelia. "The question is why."

"I… He, um…" Fudge stammered as he glanced at Narcissa again, who arched her eyebrow at him. "I had cancelled dinner with him last night."

"Dinner?" asked Amelia.

"Yes," said Fudge. "My wife and I were to celebrate Halloween with him and his wife, along with a few others. However, I was tired from such a long day at work that I canceled at the last moment, which is why he was upset."

"I can confirm what the Minister is saying," Narcissa said. "My husband and I had planned a perfect evening to celebrate not only Halloween, but also the anniversary of the fall of You-Know-Who. Money had been spent expecting a certain number of guests. Recently, a few of our personal investments have not brought us the returns we expected, so when my husband found out that we had spent money that was not needed to be spent, he grew slightly agitated and went to speak to the Minister about it personally, as he prefers to talk to people face to face instead of just sending an owl since he finds it… Impersonal."

"I believe that settles that matter," Umbridge said with a sickening sweetness to her voice that made a few members of the Wizengamot internally cringe. "Shall we move on?"

"Very well," Amelia said after a moment.

"Minister Fudge," Bartemius said as he stood up. "May I ask why you felt it a good idea to take six armed aurors to Gringotts?"

"As I said, I thought they were holding an innocent man," said Fudge.

"Did you not receive the notice posted by the auror department three hours before you took the actions that you did?" asked Bartemius. "I know that my department received it."

"I get so many notices throughout the day," said Fudge. "Hundreds of them from all different departments. It is possible that I missed it."

"That would be my fault, actually," said Umbridge. "All notifications to the Minister come through my office so I can go through them and dismiss the ones that are above his concern. I may have accidentally tossed it aside."

"Above his concern?" asked Madam Marchbanks. "He is the Minister for Magic. Nothing that happens within the Ministry is above his concern. That is why the notifications are sent to his office. So he can be kept up to date on everything that is happening."

"As I said, it was a mistake," said Umbridge.

"One that nearly sent us to war," Madam Marchbanks nearly shouted.

"But we didn't go to war," Umbridge said sweetly, though deep down she wanted nothing more than to pull her wand on the old woman for raising her voice at her. "Besides, the goblins know their place is beneath us and would never stand a chance against our forces."

"Well, considering that the Minister has refused to increase the budget of my department for a few years now, I fully disagree with you there," said Amelia. "In fact, had the Minister not stood down last night, I believe that most of the Ministry would be under goblin occupation right now, with us struggling to hold on to what little ground we could."

"Nonsense," said Umbridge. "They're nothing but filthy little creatures. We have magic on our side."

"You really are a fool if you believe that," said Augusta. "The goblins have a magic all their own. Not to mention that all goblins are trained to fight hand to hand from the day they learn to stand on their own two legs. Add to that the countless investments they have made over the centuries in mythril, which if you are to incompetent to understand what that means, is that they would wield weapons and wear armor that most magic would be unable to penetrate."

"I would be careful Lady Longbottom," said Umbridge. "Some of what you are saying could be mistaken as sedition."

"Only a fat, ignorant cow who is self deluded in her own worth would take what I mean as sedition," Augusta said.

Umbridge had a murderous look in her eyes as Dumbledore started to bang his gavel on the table in front of him.

"Ladies, ladies," he said. "Please… We are not here to argue and make accusations and to fling insults amongst ourselves."

"My apologies," said Augusta. "Ignorance and stupidity from others tends to bring out the worst in me."

"Very well," said Dumbledore. "Now, something Madam Bones mentioned has brought up another question. Why you have not increased the budget to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement?"

"I saw no need to," said Fudge, which was a lie. He had constantly turned down the requests at the advice Lucius had given him. He was starting to question the man's friendship at that moment.

"No need?" said Amelia. "I would like to point out that this year was the first year in the past three that we were able to hire new recruits for the aurors. And even then, only five of them. Yet the crime right in Knockturn Alley has risen nearly twenty percent during this same time period. Not to mention the severe increase in the black market trade of dark artifacts which are practically taking place right out in the open. However, my department cannot do a single thing about it because we did not have the budget."

"Minister, what do you have to say in regards to that?" asked Dumbledore.

"Increasing the budget and putting more aurors on the street would just cause people to panic," said Fudge.

"Aurors out there to make sure everyone is safe would not cause a panic," said Tiberius Ogden. "I know I would feel safer knowing that those trained to fight dark witches and wizards were out there, ready to deal with them."

"There is no threat of any dark witches and wizards out there," Fudge said with an air of superiority.

"There is always a threat of those that desire to practice the dark arts," said Dumbledore. "If there wasn't, then there would not only be no need for the aurors, but also for Defense Against the Dark Arts to be taught at Hogwarts."

"Poppycock," said Fudge, waving his hand dismissively.

Dumbledore sighed and looked around at the other members of the Wizengamot. Aside from Umbridge and Narcissa, no one really seemed to be pleased with the Minister's obvious refusal to believe that threats truly are out there.

Checking his watch, Dumbledore said, "As it is starting to grow late, I believe we shall end here for the day and reconvene tomorrow morning at ten sharp. Until then, this meeting is dismissed."

Dumbledore banged his gavel on the table in front of him and everyone stood up.

"I don't know why we are bothering to continue this tomorrow," Madam Marchbanks said as she walked over to Augusta Longbottom. "Based on what I have heard so far, I have no desire to see him remain as Minister for Magic."

"Neither do I," said Augusta. "However, you and I both know that there are protocols to follow in regards to this matter. If we don't, Cornelius could easily turn around and claim that he was not given a fair chance and end up remaining Minister till the end of his term. And by then, he could do enough damage control to be re-elected… No, I'd rather sit here and listen to his dig himself a deeper hole than rush things."

"You should show more respect when talking about our dear Minister," Umbridge said, who had been listening in on their conversation.

"And you should mind your own business," Augusta said. "Now be gone. I have no time to deal with spiteful and hate filled… Things, such as yourself."

"I would be very careful if I were you," Umbridge said in her false sweet tone. "You would not want me as an enemy."

"I'm not afraid of the likes of you," said Augusta. "I've dealt with far more foul things in my time."

"Perhaps," said Umbridge. "But what about your son and daughter-in-law?"

"You dare threaten my family?" Augusta said, reaching for her wand.

"Of course not," Umbridge smiled. "But accidents do happen."

And with that, the toad looking woman waddled out of the courtroom while Augusta used every ounce of her will power not the curse the bitch from behind.

OoOoOoOoOoO

Later that night after Fudge had returned home and was having a quiet dinner with his wife, due to her being upset and not talking to him, the front door burst open and three men wearing black robes and slightly broken skull shaped masks rushed into the house.

Mrs. Fudge screamed when she saw the intruders, and was quickly silenced when she was struck down by the killing curse.

"Please, don't hurt me," Fudge whimpered at the three Death Eaters surrounded him.

"You have become a liability," one of the Death Eaters said. "We know you will eventually crack under the questioning."

Fudge recognized the voice of the man speaking.

"Lucius?" he asked.

The man removed his mask and Lucius Malfoy gave him a very cold look.

"Yes, Cornelius," Lucius said. "It is I. I am a true follower of the dark."

"But… But you said…" Fudge stammered.

"That I was under the imperious curse?" asked Lucius, who then chuckled. "Nothing more than I lie myself and others concocted in order to avoid being sent to Azkaban. However, that is a secret of mine you shall take to your grave. AVADA KADAVRA!"

The jet of green light enveloped Fudge, ending his life instantly. Lucius then cast the fiend fire spell before he and his two accomplices left the house as it burned completely to the ground in a matter of minutes and they disapparated away.

OoOoOoOoOoO

**A/N:** Boy, was this a fun chapter to write.

Sorry for the lack of Harry in this chapter. I just needed to tie up the events from Halloween before I could continue. Harry will return to the focus in the next chapter.

Also, next chapter we'll be skipping forward a bit closer to just before the Christmas Holidays and also find out who the new Minister for Magic is. Want a clue? It's not Amelia Bones.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven – The More Things Change…**

As the Christmas holidays approach, things had changed in wizarding Britain.

Everyone was shocked at first when news broke about the death of Cornelius Fudge. The body of him and his wife had been found burned in the ashes of what remained of his home after Amelia Bones had sent aurors to his residence when he had not shown up to the meeting. It was only a few days later that Rita Skeeter wrote her own version of the story about what happened, claiming that Fudge had cracked under the pressure of recent events and killed his wife, then setting his own home on fire before turning his wand on himself in a murder/suicide. Amelia had tried to discern the truth about what had happened, though due to the fire burning up almost everything, was unable to, and had been forced to close the investigation and using Rita's story as the cause since that is what was believed by the majority of the general public. It annoyed her greatly because while Fudge might have been an idiot sometimes, he did not deserve to be remembered by history in that way.

With the death of the Minister, this left his position open, and while it was decided for the Wizengamot to go over the many people applying for the spot, it would fall to the Chief Warlock to fill in until that time. Which left Dumbledore acting as Minister for Magic through the rest of November and the first week of December. This also left Professor McGonagall filling in as Headmistress at Hogwarts, since Dumbledore would need to remain at the Ministry during this time.

However, finally at the end of the first week of December, the Wizengamot had narrowed down the hopefuls for the seat of the next Minister for Magic down to two people. Delores Umbridge, who had some experience due to her position as Senior Undersecretary, and Lady Augusta Longbottom.

The members of the Wizengamot were left with a touch choice. However, in the end, the deciding factor was that Umbridge had worked under Fudge, and thus, could not be trusted that she would not make the same mistakes he had. Which is how on December the ninth, in the year nineteen ninety one, Lady Augusta Longbottom was selected as the next Minister for Magic.

OoOoOoOoOoO

The morning had started out quite odd for Neville Longbottom. It had started after he and Harry had woken up, got dressed, and headed out to the common room to wait for Hermione, Susan, and Hannah before heading out to breakfast.

"Hey Longbottom, congrats," one of the older students had said as they passed by and left through the large barrel.

"Um, thanks?" said a confused Neville.

"What did you do?" asked Harry.

"I have no idea," said Neville. "But whatever it was, it was worth congratulating me on… Maybe it was our Herbology test we had yesterday, and I got the highest score ever."

"I doubt it," said Harry. "If you did, I'm sure Professor Sprout would have told you first about it."

"Good point," said Neville.

As they continued to wait, more of their fellow housemates gave Neville their congratulations and well wishes, as well as just smiled and waved.

"This is getting weird," Neville said after a few minutes of it.

"What is?" asked Susan as the three girls joined them.

"People have been congratulating Neville since we came out to the common room," said Harry.

"Why?" asked Hannah. "What did you do?"

"I honestly have no clue," said Neville.

"Well, I'm sure whatever the reason is, it will reveal itself in time," said Hermione. "Until then, let's go have breakfast before we run out of time and end up late to class… Again."

"One time," Hannah said as they started to leave. "One time I run a little late, and you never let me forget it."

"You were half an hour late to Transfiguration," Hermione said. "And you were still in your dressing gown."

"I over slept," said Hannah. "Which wouldn't have happened if you hadn't insisted on staying up late the night before to review."

"It was for an exam," said Hermione.

"That was a week away," said Hannah.

"Well, excuse me for not wanting to wait till the last minute," said Hermione.

"Reviewing early is fine," said Hannah. "A day or two before. But a week… That's too much for me. But I humored you in it because we're friends."

"Oh, is that why you did it?" asked Hermione. "To humor me?"

"Susan did as well," Hannah said, causing Hermione to stare at Susan, who was now glaring at Hannah.

"Traitor," Susan whispered.

"Hey, if I'm going down, I'm taking someone with me," said Hannah. "Hufflepuffs stick together through everything."

"I don't think going down with the ship counts," Harry said with a chuckle, earning him a glare from all three witches.

"Sorry," Harry said, looking sheepishly down at his shoes.

"Hey Longbottom, great news," said Fred Weasley as he and his twin brother passed by.

"Yeah, congratulations," said George Weasley as the two of them headed into the Great Hall.

"Okay, seriously, what is going on?" asked Neville.

The five of them walked into the Great Hall and as soon as they sat down at the Hufflepuff table, they found out when they spotted the morning edition of the Daily Prophet.

"Lady Augusta Longbottom named as new Minister for Magic," Susan said as she read the headline from the paper right over the moving picture of her being sworn into office late the night before.

"Gran is the Minister for Magic?" Neville asked, sounding very surprised.

"You didn't know she was being considered?" asked Susan. "Auntie told me all about it. It was between her and the Undersecretary."

Neville shook his head no. "Uh-uh," he said. "She never said anything about it in her letters to me. Why didn't she say anything to me about it?"

"Perhaps she didn't want to distract you from your studies," Hermione said.

"She probably thought I would say or do something that would ruin her chances," Neville said, looking slightly dejected. "I'll see you guys in class."

"What about breakfast?" asked Hannah as Neville slowly stood up.

"Not hungry," was all Neville said in a flat tone as he walked out of the Great Hall.

"Is he going to be alright?" Hannah asked, concerned for her friend.

"I hope so," Harry said. "Neville told me he's always had a kind of strained relationship with his grandmother. Always expecting too much from him as he grew up, and pressuring him to show some kind of magical ability before he had his first moment of accidental magic. And then, after he finally did, she kept telling him he has quite the name to live up to if he wants to be as good as his father was."

"Poor Neville," Susan said and the rest of them nodded in agreement. Suddenly, none of them were feeling quite hungry at the moment.

OoOoOoOoOoO

Delores Umbridge had just arrived at her office in the Ministry of Magic, only to find the door unlocked and open.

"What is going on here?" she asked as she walked in and found a group of people searching the place.

"Search warrant," Moody said as his eye swirled around in his head. "Issued and signed this morning after Madam Bones received an anonymous tip that you were in possession of illegal dark artifacts."

Moody then produced a rolled up sheet of parchment and showed Umbridge the search warrant while he allowed all the auror trainees to search the office.

"This is preposterous," Umbridge said. "I am the Senior Undersecretary to the Minister for Magic."

"That may be," Moody said as he put the parchment back into his robes. "However, that doesn't make you above the law… Don't forget to check the drawers of her desk for any false bottoms."

"Got it," Tonks said as she yanked out each of the drawers, dumped out the contents onto the floor, and then ran her fingers along the inside to check for any secret compartments.

"This is ridiculous," said Umbridge. "I do not have own any dark objects."

"Then you have nothing to worry about," said Moody. "Now, until we're done searching, you need to leave."

"I will not," said Umbridge. "This is my office."

Moody pulled out his wand and with a slightly feral grin he said, "Don't make me stun you."

"You wouldn't dare," said Umbridge. "I am the…"

"Senior Undersecretary, blah, blah, blah," said Moody. "You really need to come up with something new to say. You're beginning to sound like a broken record. Now… Step out of the office and allow us to complete our search."

"I'll see you fired for this," Umbridge said before leaving her office and waiting out in the hallway. She was quite livid at the moment, and gave a death glare at anyone that looked at her as they passed by.

"Sir," one of the auror cadets said. "I think I found something."

"What is it?" Moody asked as he stomped over to where the cadet was looking at a potted plant.

"The carpet is slightly raised in the corner behind the plant," the young cadet said.

Moody focused his eye on the floor and scowled. Something that looked quite frightening due to his heavily scared face.

"There is something magically charmed in the floor that my eye can't see through," said Moody. "Stand back."

Moody pulled out his wand, and with a wave, ripped up a section of carpeting to reveal a hidden safe. A few more waves of his wand and he discovered that the safe was protected by a few nasty curses, including one that would melt the flesh of the hand of anyone that touched it.

"Nasty little toad," grumbled Moody. "Tonks?"

"Yes sir?" Tonks said.

"Run down to the DMLE and inform Amelia that we have a situation," said Moody. "We're going to need a top level curse breaker on this."

"Got it," said Tonks before she ran out of the office.

"The rest of you, wands out," said Moody.

Moody led the remaining cadets out of the office and over to where Umbridge stood waiting.

"Finally," she said. "May I enter my office now? I have quite a lot of important work that needs to be done."

"Whatever it is will have to wait," said Moody. "Right now you need to come with us. You have a lot of explaining to do about the dark curses protecting a hidden safe in your floor."

For a brief moment, Umbridge had a look of panic on her face, but quickly schooled her features.

"I have no idea what you are talking about," she said. "I do not have any hidden safe, nor have I placed any curses on anything in my office."

"Sure you don't," said Moody. "Come along now, peacefully. You can tell your story downstairs."

"I will not be going anywhere," said Umbridge.

"Suit yourself," said Moody, who then stunned the woman and her unconscious body slumped to the floor. "Everyone always has to do things the hard way."

OoOoOoOoOoO

Amelia Bones was in her office in the middle of a meeting with Arthur Weasley.

"So Arthur, what can I do for you today?" asked Amelia.

"I would like organize a raid on the home of Lucius Malfoy," said Arthur. "I believe he is hiding a serious collection of illegal dark artifacts somewhere in his manor."

"I see," said Amelia. "I take it you have some kind of evidence?"

"Well… No," said Arthur. "Just a gut feeling is all."

Amelia sighed and said, "Arthur, I detest Lucius as much as you. I never once bought his Imperius curse excuse. But the Wizengamot cleared him and as far as the public is concerned, he is an upstanding member of wizarding society. He makes charitable donations to St. Mungos. He's on the Hogwarts Board of Governors. He even managed to avoid being accused of anything in regards to Cornelius, despite the fact that before the Gringotts incident, they were close friends. If I were to authorize a raid on his home without any evidence, the public would call for my head. Especially if Rita Skeeter caught word of it."

"So, that's it? There's nothing we can do?" asked Arthur.

"For now, no," said Amelia. "But that doesn't mean I want you to give up on this. You bring me some proof, no matter how tiny and insignificant, and I will authorize a full raid on his home."

"A full raid?" asked Arthur, slightly surprised as a full raid included questioning with Veritaserum.

Amelia smiled and said, "As I told you. I detest the man and never once believed he was innocent of being a Death Eater."

Arthur started to chuckle just as Tonks burst into the room.

"Around here, we knock before entering someone's office, cadet Tonks," Amelia said.

"Sorry ma'am," Tonks said, slightly out of breath from running all the way. "But Moody sent me to tell you that he needs a curse breaker."

"A curse breaker? Why?" asked Amelia.

"We found a safe hidden in the Senior Undersecretary's office," said Tonks. "Moody said it's protected by some dark stuff."

"I'll need to make some calls," Amelia said.

"No need," said Arthur. "My eldest son is curse breaker from Gringotts. He works in Egypt mostly, but he's come home for a month for the upcoming Christmas holidays. If you'll allow me to use your floo, I can call home and have him here shortly."

"Please do," said Amelia as she gestured towards her fireplace.

OoOoOoOoOoO

Harry, Hermione, Neville, Susan, and Hannah entered the potions dungeon, ready for their first class with Snape sans a second professor in the room.

It had been an interesting month for everyone, watching as Snape was constantly forced to bite back his negative remarks had been slightly amusing. Even Professor McGonagall took a small bit of pleasure watching Snape being forced to act like a civil human being. Though, it was a bit awkward watching the man try and actually teach the class and explain about the potions.

"Sit down and be quiet," Snape snapped as he stormed into the room and moved to the front.

He stared at the entire class, giving Harry a particularly nasty glare.

"For the past month, I have been forced to hold your hands," said Snape. "Forced to deal with your continuous stupid questions and endless incompetence. Well, no longer will that be the case."

Harry shared a quick look with Neville.

Snape pulled out his wand and waved it at the chalkboard.

"The instructions are up there," said Snape. "And if any of you as so much thinks of raising your hand to ask a question, I will have you serving detention until your final year by cleaning my cauldrons with your tongues."

Hermione, who had just started to raise her hand, let out a quiet squeak as she pulled her hand back down.

"I should've known it wouldn't last," Harry whispered as he and Neville started to prepare their ingredients for their potion.

"Yeah," said Neville, who really didn't seem to be paying much attention.

Ever since he had found out that his Gran was the new Minister for Magic that morning, he had seemed rather withdrawn and acting like the quiet and shy boy he had been when Harry had first met him on the train, which was rather unfortunate as Neville had been starting to come out of his shell a bit in the past couple of weeks.

"No talking," said Snape. "Twenty points from Hufflepuff."

A warm tingle ran down Snape's spine as he deducted the points. It was something he had been unable to do during his entire probation, and he found that he missed it greatly. He looked around the room, wondering what else he could take points away for, searching for the tiniest of reasons.

Little did he know is that Harry was keeping a subtle eye on the man and making a mental note of everything he did so he could write it down after class and let Andromeda know, as per her request since she didn't believe that he would change his ways and had fully expected him to revert back to his old self just as soon as his probation was over.

OoOoOoOoOoO

The fireplace in Amelia's office flared to life and a young man with shoulder length red hair stepped out of the shimmering green flames, dusting the ash and soot from his robes.

"You must be William," Amelia said. "Arthur has told me much about you."

"A pleasure ma'am," Bill Weasley said. "But please, call me Bill."

"Alright Bill," said Amelia. "How much did your father tell you?"

"Not much," said Bill as he followed Amelia out of her office. "Just that there was something being protected by very dark curses and that since my job at Gringotts has me dealing with such things on a regular basis, I might be able to help."

"This won't be a problem, will it?" asked Amelia. "You helping the Ministry when you work for the Goblins? There was a bit of a situation between us and them not long ago."

"No ma'am," said Bill. "To them, the matter was settled when Gregory Nott met the blade of the executioners axe. Despite popular opinion among some wizards, goblins don't hold grudges."

"That's good," said Amelia.

"They just kill whomever they felt has slighted them," finished Bill.

"Oh," said Amelia as they reached the lift and got in.

The two of them rode the lift and walked the rest of the way towards Umbridge's office in silence.

"Rainbow head?" Bill said when they walked into the office and he spotted Tonks.

Tonks smiled as she walked over to Bill, looking like she was about to give him a hug, and then suddenly smacked him upside his head.

"I told you never to call me that again," said Tonks.

"I take it you two know each other?" asked Amelia as Moody chuckled in the corner.

"Yes ma'am," said Tonks. "His brother Charlie and I were in the same year together, and… Sort of dated for a short period of time during our sixth year."

"Dated?" asked Bill with a smile. "I seem to recall catching the two of you snogging out in the orchard near the Burrow." Bill then looked at Amelia and said, "That's why I call her rainbow head. She was so embarrassed that her hair changed color so rapidly, it looked like a rainbow."

Amelia looked curiously at Tonks.

"I'm a metamorphmagus ma'am," answered Tonks, and then as a demonstration, changed her hair from the spiky bubblegum pink that she favored as of late, mostly because it slightly annoyed her mum, to a golden blond color that ran down to the middle of her back.

"Interesting," said Amelia, who then looked at Moody and said. "I can see why you were interested in training her. Abilities such as hers would come quite handy in covert operations."

"Maybe," said Moody as Amelia joined him. "That is if I can break her of her bad habit."

"Bad habit?" asked Amelia.

Just then, Tonks tripped over the plant that had been covering where the safe had been, causing Bill to laugh.

"She's naturally clumsy," grumbled Moody. "I've lost count how many times she's tripped over her own feet in the past few months since I started training her. I don't think she'll ever pass the stealth portion of the training."

"Perhaps," said Amelia. "But with her own natural ability, she would work well in undercover work. Which will come in handy if things continue the way they are."

"Something I should know?" Moody asked.

"Our new Minister," Amelia said with a faint smile. "She's getting ready to shake things up a bit."

"Oh really," said Moody.

"Oh yes," said Amelia. "She and I talked about this over the past month. One of her first goals, after having our budget increased and aurors hired and trained, is to clear out the negative element from Knockturn Alley."

Moody let out a low whistle.

"That's quite a big undertaking," he said. "Not to mention that it won't be easy. Those that deal in the black market of dark artifacts will put up a fight."

"She knows the risks," said Amelia. "But she's also personally dealt with the end results of dark witches and wizards allowed to roam unchecked until it's too late."

"Wants to prevent another Voldemort before it happens, does she?" asked Moody, causing Amelia to flinch slightly at the sound of the name.

"Must you use that name?" she asked.

"Oh, grow a pair," grumbled Moody.

Amelia was about to retort when Bill gasped quite loudly.

"What is it?" Amelia asked as she and Moody walked over and joined him.

"These curses," said Bill as he waved his wand over the floor safe. "I've seen quite a few nasty ones in my short time in Egypt, but these… Whoever cast them is quite sadistic."

"What are they?" asked Moody.

"All sorts that physically torture the body of anyone that touches the safe while active," said Bill. "And to make matters worse, they're all underlined with a spell that keeps the person conscious the entire time, so they can't pass out from the pain. They'll feel it till either the curses are lifted, or…"

"They die," finished Amelia, feeling her anger start to boil towards Umbridge.

"Exactly," said Bill. "And since some of these curses are quite obscure, the average healer at St. Mungos wouldn't know how to lift it."

"Can you break them?" asked Amelia. "We need to know what is inside."

"It'll take time," said Bill. "But, yeah… I can do it."

"We'll leave you too it then," said Amelia. "Cadet Tonks, you stay here and make sure no one disturbs him."

"Yes ma'am," said Tonks as Bill pulled off his robes and laid them across a chair, leaving him wearing only a pair of jeans and a t-shirt.

"So," said Tonks as she sat on one of the chairs and rested her boot covered feet up on Umbridge's desk after Amelia and Moody had left the office. "How is Dragon-Butt?"

"Charlie's good," said Bill. "He's up in Romania, working at the dragon preserve. Mum, dad, Ginny, and I are heading up there Christmas morning to see him."

"What about the twins, Ron, and… What's his face?" asked Tonks.

"Percy," said Bill with a chuckle. Tonks never bothered to remember the name of the third Weasley child. Mostly because she thought he was a stuck up git. "No. They're going to be staying at Hogwarts this year. Fred and George are ecstatic about it because they think they can get away with more mischief at the castle than at home. Percy doesn't have a problem with it since it's his O.W.L. year and wants to study. As for Ron…"

Bill let out a sigh and stopped casting spells on the safe.

"Ron isn't having much of a good time at Hogwarts," said Bill.

"Why not?" asked Tonks.

"He's having trouble making friends," said Bill. "He has two other guys in his dorm. One is a half-blood that was raised in the muggle world, and the other is muggleborn, so he really doesn't have much in common with them. He's pretty lonely. Not to mention that his grades aren't the best. Dad had to talk mum out of sending him a Howler about that."

"That sucks," said Tonks. "Hey, maybe I could talk to my little bro and see if he can help Ron out."

"Little brother?" asked Bill. "Oh, that's right. Mum told me your folks adopted Harry Potter… How the hell did that happen?"

"Long story short," said Tonks. "He was living with some muggle relatives of his since his parents died. They don't like magic."

"But, if they don't like magic, then…" Bill started to say.

"Yeah," said Tonks. "He hasn't had much in the way of a happy childhood living with them. In fact, if it wasn't for McGonagall bringing Harry his Hogwarts letter personally, I don't think anyone would know about what his home life was like… Anyways, she found out, took him out of there and then Dumbledore asked my parents if they would take him in, and they did."

"What's he like?" asked Bill as he returned to casting spells on the curse protected safe.

"He was kind of shy and nervous when I first met him," said Tonks, thinking back to that summer. "Not surprising considering what he's been through growing up. But once he realized that living with us wasn't like living with those muggles, he started to relax and open up. I even helped him learn how to fly a broom."

"Uh oh," Bill said with a grin.

"What?" asked Tonks.

"If I remember right, you and brooms aren't a good combination," said Bill.

"Prat," Tonks said, and then stuck her tongue out at him. "Seriously though, he really didn't need much help. He's kind of a natural."

"Really?" asked Bill. "As good as me?"

"Better," said Tonks. "I wouldn't be surprised if he's on the house team next year."

"Is it true he's in Hufflepuff?" asked Bill. "Mum said he was."

"He is," Tonks said proudly. "I nearly fainted when I found out."

"Nearly?" asked Bill.

"Fine, I did," said Tonks, causing Bill to chuckle. "Shut up," she then said, smiling a bit herself.

Tonks then stood up and said, "I'm gonna head out into the hall and check things out."

"Why?" asked Bill.

"Constant vigilance," was all Tonks cryptically said as she walked out of the office, leaving Bill alone to continue his work.

OoOoOoOoOoO

As Harry and Neville were in the room and getting ready for bed, Harry decided to ask the question that had been on his mind all day.

"Hey Nev, is everything alright?" asked Harry.

"Yeah, why?" asked Neville.

"You just seem to have been in a sort of mood all day," said Harry.

Neville sighed as he sat on the edge of his bed.

"It's this Minister thing with Gran," Neville eventually said after a moment of silence. "It bothers me that she didn't tell me about it. And yes, I'm sure she had a good reason, like not wanting me to worry about it when I should be focusing on my studies… But still… I felt like such an idiot this morning when everyone kept congratulating me for her being selected and not knowing it. Not to mention that she should have asked me about it. I mean, this will effect my life as well."

"Would you have told her you didn't want her to do it?" asked Harry.

"No," said Neville. "Of course not. I think she'll be great at the job. She's been around long enough to know the Ministry inside and out. And I've heard her talking with friends about the problems that are being ignored and need to be fixed… No, she'll be brilliant at being the Minister for Magic and will probably be remembered for it for a long time. Still…"

"You just wanted her to acknowledge you about it," said Harry and Neville looked down as he nodded his head a bit.

"I can understand that," Harry said. It was then that he came to another decision. "Have I ever told you about my life before I went to live with the Tonks'?"

"Not really," said Neville as he looked up at Harry. "You've said a few things, but not much."

"It wasn't a happy time in my life," said Harry. "To them, I was a freak of nature. An abomination. I'm sure if they were religious, they would have considering me an affront to god and try to burn me at the stake. And they never once let me forget about what they thought of me. Until I was five and I went to school, I honestly thought that my name was Freak, since that's what they usually called me. Until Professor McGonagall came and brought me my Hogwarts letter, I lived and slept in a small, dark, spider infested cupboard under the stairs. They would feed me the left over scraps from their meals like I was a dog. That is, when they would actually feed me. There were times I went weeks without eating. Just a glass of water a day. I learned quickly not to drink it all at once, no matter how thirsty I was. My toilet was a bucket that was also in the cupboard with me. Sometimes when they locked me away for days at a time, I was glad that they didn't feed me. If they had, that bucket would have overflowed… Then there were the beatings."

Neville, who had been sitting there in shocked silence at the life his friend had once been forced to live, gasped upon hearing that.

"They didn't happen often," Harry continued. He had to. The more he talked, the more he could feel a weight lifting from himself. "Usually after I did a bit of accidental magic… I guess my uncle thought that he could beat the magic out of me or something if he did. Though, there were a couple times he beat me because he had a particularly bad day at work. I remember one time when I was seven. I had spent all day cleaning the house, because that was what I was told to do while my cousin sat around watching his favorite programs. I had just finished cleaning the kitchen when my uncle came home, upset that he hadn't gotten the promotion he felt he deserved. He ranted for a bit about it to my aunt when he suddenly said that it must have been my fault. That I used my freakishness to cost him the promotion. That's when he started to hit me. Busted lip. Broke one of my fingers. He held me by the hair and punched me in the stomach, and when I fell to the ground, gasping for air, he ended up ripping a hunk of my hair from my head. When it was over, I was just lying there on the floor, bleeding… That's when my aunt kicked me in the ribs for bleeding all over he nice clean kitchen. I lost consciousness around that time and when I woke up, I was back in my cupboard and could hear the three of them laughing at some program they were watching. I don't know for sure, but I think it was my magic that kept me from dying that night. It was my magic that healed me as best as it could."

Neville was close to crying by the time Harry was done, and when Harry looked at him he could see the young boy had tears in his eyes.

"I… I had no idea," Neville eventually said. "Merlin's beard, you had to live through all that and here I am complaining that my Gran didn't tell me something."

"No, Nev," said Harry. "I didn't tell you about that to make you feel bad for having your own problems. Just to let you know that everyone has problems. It's a part of life. Sometimes they're big and sometimes small. You can sit back and agonize over it for a life time, or you can deal with it and then move on. That's what I'm doing… Or at least, I'm trying to. I still have moments now and then when I think back on that time."

"I never noticed," said Neville.

"Remember Halloween night?" asked Harry.

"How can I forget," said Neville as he shivered slightly at the memory.

"I didn't freeze because I was afraid," said Harry. "I got lost inside my head for a moment and I saw the troll sort of turn into my uncle. He said he was going to take me away from the Tonks' and my life as a wizard and beat the magic out of me once and for all. Even if it killed me."

"Is that why you attacked the troll?" asked Neville.

"Honestly, I have no idea what I did," said Harry. "Something told me to pull my wand out, and so I did. Next thing I know, I'm watching the troll get blasted through the wall and I passed out."

The two of them sat there in silence for a little over a minute before Harry let out a deep yawn.

"I guess it's time for bed, huh," said Harry.

"Yeah," said Neville.

The two of them climbed under the warm covers of their four poster beds, and Harry pointed his wand at the lamps and put them out. The only light that remained was the warm glow that came from heater between their beds.

"Hey Harry?" said Neville.

"Yeah Nev?" said Harry.

"Thanks for talking to me," said Neville.

"No problem," said Harry. "That's what friends are for."

"Harry?" Neville said after a few moments.

"Yes Neville?" said Harry.

"I wont tell anyone what you told me tonight," said Neville.

"I'd appreciate that," said Harry.

Silence again filled the room.

"Harry?" said Neville.

"Yes?" said Harry.

"I'm glad we're friends," said Neville.

"Me too," said Harry. "Now go to bed or I'll hit you with my pillow."

Neville chuckled lightly as he rolled over and closed his eyes.

That night, both boys slept soundly and peacefully.

OoOoOoOoOoO

It was just after midnight when Bill finally broke the final curse protecting the safe and called Tonks and Moody over.

"Good job," said Moody as he kneeled down in front of the safe and used his wand to open it.

Reaching into the safe, first Moody pulled out a finely crafted wooden box, which when he opened it, found it contained a blood quill.

"Cadet, what are the rules regarding blood quills?" asked Moody.

"Illegal for any witch or wizard to own," Tonks said, remembering what she had read in her auror handbook. "The only ones allowed to legally possess a blood quill are goblins, and may only be used to sign high level contracts."

"Very good," said Moody as he then pulled out an unmarked leather bound book. When he opened it, he found it full of Umbridge's handwriting and detailing not only dirt that she had on quite a few Ministry personal, but also totals of the amount she was blackmailing certain people.

"This is interesting," said Moody as he scanned one of the pages. "It would seem that our Senior Undersecretary was blackmailing Mafalda Hopkirk down in the Improper Use of Magic Office over an affair she had with a married wizard."

"How much did she have to pay?" asked Tonks.

"Nothing," said Moody. "Instead, she had her keeping tabs on some muggle neighborhood in Surrey."

"Surrey?" asked Tonks. "Where in Surrey?"

"Um," Moody said, reading what was written. "Little Whinging. Why? What does it matter?"

"That's where Harry used to live with his muggle relatives before he came to live with us," said Tonks.

OoOoOoOoOoO

Down in the holding cells inside the DMLE, Delores Umbridge sat on a small cot covered by a ratty old blanket and a flat pillow. She had been there for just over sixteen hours and aside from two meals that had been brought to her, she had seen no one.

"If they think that by keeping me isolated that I'll break, they are seriously mistaken," Umbridge silently said to herself. "I swear, as soon as I get out of here, I will make all of them sorry for treating me like this."

"Is that so?" someone said.

Umbridge looked up in surprise since she hadn't heard anyone enter, and even more surprised to see Augusta Longbottom standing there.

"What are you doing here?" Umbridge nearly spat.

"Now, now," Augusta said with a smile. "Is that anyway to talk to your Minister for Magic? Where's the faithful devotion you used to show Cornelius?"

"I refuse to acknowledge you as the Minister," said Umbridge.

"Careful Delores," said Augusta. "That could be mistaken as sedition."

Umbridge scowled, having what she had said over a month ago to the woman thrown back into her face.

"Is that why you have come here?" asked Umbridge. "To gloat?"

"I just wanted you to know who it was that ruined you," said Augusta. " Yes, it was me that tipped Amelia off about your safe, which wasn't easy to learn about. But then again, being Minister has its perks. Like access to any office inside the building, including your office… No one threatens my family and gets away with it."

Just then, the door to the holding cells opened and Amelia and Moody walked in.

"Madam Minister," said a slightly surprised Amelia. "What are you doing here?"

"I just came to inform Madam Umbridge that her services as Senior Undersecretary will no longer be required," said Augusta. "Not only because I cannot have someone who has been accused of possession of illegal dark artifacts holding such a prominent position in office, but also because I truly cannot trust her to work with me in the betterment of the Ministry and the wizarding public."

"She lies," spat Umbridge as she jumped up from the small bed. "She came to threaten to have me kissed by dementors."

It was an obvious lie, but for that moment, Umbridge was desperate, as it seemed that Augusta had her number.

"Considering what we discovered, the Wizengamot might just agree to that," growled Moody as he held up the little leather bound book.

"What's that?" asked Augusta.

"A book filled with secrets about a few members of the Ministry, as well as a list of witches and wizards she has been blackmailing for her silence," said Amelia. "Including one that she was having keep tabs on Harry Potter before he came to Hogwarts."

"What?" asked a surprised Augusta as she turned and looked at Umbridge, who just smiled in return.

"It was for his own safety," Umbridge said in her false sweet voice. "He did defeat one of the most feared dark wizards since Grindelwald after all."

"Then why did you have to blackmail someone to do it?" asked Amelia.

Umbridge didn't say anything.

"Answer the question, or I will authorize the use of Veritaserum," said Augusta. "Either way, we will get the answer out of you."

Umbridge folded her arms across her chest and sat down, not even bothering to look at the three of them.

"Auror Moody, please retrieve a bottle of Veritaserum," said Augusta.

Moody looked at Amelia, who nodded her head in agreement and then he left the holding cells.

"Was anything else found in the safe?" asked Augusta.

"A blood quill," said Amelia. "As well as a small pouch containing twenty galleons, which I guess was a recent payment from someone and she hadn't had time to deposit it into her account at Gringotts."

"A blood quill," said Augusta. "Blackmailing Ministry employees. Unauthorized use of Ministry resources. My dear Delores, you're looking at facing quite a long time within the walls of Azkaban."

"Possession of the blood quill alone is worth ten years," said Amelia.

"Just because it's written in a book, doesn't mean I really blackmailed anyone," said Umbridge, who had a satisfied smile on her face, as though she had just eaten a tasty fly and giving her even more of a toad like appearance.

"I'm sure we can get them to testify against you," said Augusta.

"And have their dirty little secrets told to the public?" asked Umbridge. "I think not."

"It will be a closed session," said Amelia. "And if the Minister agrees, I am sure we can ignore some of the transgressions people have made in the past."

"I believe that might be feasible," said Augusta. "With provisions, of course."

"Of course," said Amelia. "A small fine perhaps, or a short probationary period to keep an eye on them and make sure they don't continue what they have done if it was illegal."

"Up to a point," said Augusta. "Certain crimes will have to be answered for."

"True," said Amelia. "But I wouldn't offer them any sort of deal. From what I quickly read in this book, there are only two or three people whose transgressions are worthy of time in Azkaban. Who knows… They might even be placed in a cell near Delores."

"Hear that Delores?" asked Augusta. "You might be spending time with the people you manipulated for your own needs."

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" asked Umbridge, as she began running her finger across one of the bolts holding the bed together and found that it was slightly loose.

"Frankly, yes," said Augusta. "You're a foul, hate filled, spiteful woman that takes pleasure in the misery of others. Plus, I honestly just don't like you."

It was then that Moody returned with a small vial containing a the clear liquid that was Veritaserum.

"Here it is," he said.

"Excellent," said Augusta. "Now we can find out what she was up to."

"There will be no need for that," said Umbridge as she stood up.

"I think there is," said Amelia. "Because anything you tell us will undoubtedly be nothing but lies."

"Oh, I didn't mean that I was going to willingly answer your questions," said Umbridge.

"Then just what did you mean?" asked Augusta.

"This," said Umbridge, as she took the bolt she had removed from the bed and stabbed herself in the throat with it, severing her jugular in the process.

Augusta froze in shock as both Amelia and Moody jumped into action, opening the cell door and attempting to stop the bleeding.

"CADET, GET YOUR ASS IN HERE!" Moody shouted, and Tonks came running.

"What with the shou… Holy shit," said Tonks, her eyes going slightly comically wide do to her abilities. Or it would have been comically if not for the woman bleeding to death on the floor.

"Get to the floo and contact St. Mungos," growled Moody as Amelia used her robes to apply pressure to the wound. "Tell them to send a trauma healer ASAP."

Tonks had frozen at the sight as well, shocked at what she was seeing.

"NOW CADET, OR I WILL PERSONALLY KICK YOUR ASS!" shouted Moody, which snapped Tonks out of her stupor and left running to get help.

As Moody and Amelia continued to try and prevent Umbridge from dying, the sleeve of her pink sweater slid up her arm, and Augusta noticed something.

"What's that?" she asked as she moved closer and bent down. She moved the sleeve up a little more and let out a gasp as she backed away.

There, on the inside of her right arm, was the slightly faded brand burned into her skin of the Dark Mark.

OoOoOoOoOoO

**A/N:** Congrats to everyone that guessed Augusta as the new Minister for Magic.

I hope you all enjoy the chapter and have a Happy Halloween next week.

Next up, Christmas holidays with Harry and the Tonks'.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve – 'Tis The Season**

Harry sat with his friends in one of the compartments of the Hogwarts Express as it made its way towards London so the students could spend the Christmas holidays with their families.

Both Hermione and Susan were reading books. Hermione's was her copy of Hogwarts, A History, while Susan was reading Witches Abroad. Hannah was asleep in the seat next to Susan while Harry and Neville were looking through the chocolate frog cards they had just acquired when the snack trolley had passed by.

"So, what's everyone doing for the holidays?" asked Harry as he tossed aside his ninth Dumbledore card of the day.

"Gran has to be at the Ministry on Christmas Eve for a party since she's the Minister," said Neville. "So I guess I'll be there."

Neville no longer held any sort of resentment towards his Gran for not telling him. Especially since she had personally come up to Hogwarts the day after he had found out and talked to him about it, explaining that she didn't tell him because she honestly didn't believe that she had a chance when people like Rufus Scrimgeour and Stamford Jorkins were in the running. It wasn't until the morning of her winning that night when it was down to her and Umbridge did she believe she had a chance. Up till that point, it was just wishful thinking when she and Amelia would talk about it. And so, after a nice long talk, Neville was fine with what had happened.

However, he did find it a little strange when his Gran asked him about how Harry was doing, but quickly dismissed the issue, figuring she was just curious about his friend.

"Me too," said Susan in regards to attending the Ministry function. "Well, at least it wont be so bad. At least we'll know someone and not sit around bored."

"I guess," said Neville as he frowned when he got a Gilderoy Lockhart card. He then looked at Harry and said, "I'll trade you for this one."

Harry looked at the card and nearly laughed at the stupid grin on Lockhart's face.

"Sure, why not. I can use it to line Hedwig's cage," said Harry as he let Neville pick one of the cards from the small pile he didn't want or need. "What about you Hermione? What does the Granger family do for Christmas?"

"My family all meet up in the Swiss Alps and goes skiing," said Hermione. "It's been a tradition as far back as I can remember. We all rent a large cabin and just catch up on what everyone has been doing. Though, I guess this year will be a bit awkward since no one but my parents know that I'm a witch. But I'm sure my parents and I will figure out something to say. How about you Harry?"

"Me?" he said. "No idea. I'm just looking forward to celebrating my first Christmas… With the Tonks'," he quickly added.

Only Neville had caught on Harry's slight pause due to him being a bit more knowledgeable about Harry's past than the others after the talk they had had that night.

"I'm sure it will be great," Neville said, giving Harry a slight smile.

"Me too," said Harry, who then looked at Hannah. "I wonder what the Abbot's do for Christmas."

"No," Hannah mumbled in her sleep. "Don't take the bananas. The monkeys need them."

Harry, Neville, and Hermione looked questioningly at Hannah.

"Don't mind her," Susan said as she went back to her book. "She talks in her sleep sometimes."

"Tonks does the same thing," Harry said. "I heard her a few times over the summer since my room is next to hers."

"Must be a girl thing," Neville said, earning him a glare from both Hermione and Susan, which made him shrink back into his seat, hoping to no longer be noticed.

OoOoOoOoOoO

Down in one of the other cars, Draco Malfoy sat with his two mindless shadows Crabbe and Goyle, along with Pansy Parkinson, Daphne Greengrass and Tracy Davis.

"I'm bored," Draco said as he stood up. "Why can't this stupid train have some form of entertainment to pass the time?"

"Because, you're supposed to use the time to talk with friends," said Daphne.

"About what?" asked Draco. "We all live in the same house and have the same classes, so we already know everything that has happened over the past few months. So what is there to talk about?"

"Read a book," said Tracy as she held up her own book.

"Pointless," said Draco as he waved the idea off. It was then that he had an idea and a slightly evil smirk crossed his face. He turned to Crabbe and Goyle and said, "Come on you two. Let's go."

"Where are you going?" asked Pansy.

"To annoy Potter," said Draco.

Daphne chuckled and said, "Your funeral."

"And what exactly is that supposed to mean?" asked Draco.

"Obviously, you've already forgotten Halloween night," said Tracy.

"Yes, remember?" asked Daphne. "When Potter blasted that troll through the wall? But, if you wish to go and antagonize him, be my guest. Any last words you wish for me to pass onto your father when he asks what happened to you?"

Draco scowled at Daphne before he sat back down heavily. She was right, and he hated it. Almost as much as he hated Potter for the way he had turned his back on his offer of friendship. He swore to himself that one day, he would make Potter pay for his insolence.

OoOoOoOoOoO

On Platform Nine & Three Quarters, Ted and Andromeda were waiting with the rest of the parents for the Hogwarts Express to arrive with their children so they could begin the Christmas holidays.

The two of them were just trying to decide if they wanted to try and get a little Christmas shopping done after Harry arrived, or wait until tomorrow morning before they get started, when Amelia Bones walked up to them.

"Ted. Andromeda," Amelia said.

"Amelia," Andromeda said, hugging the other woman. "Long time no see. How is everything? Wait… This isn't about Nymphadora is it?"

"No, no," said Amelia. "In fact, she's doing quite well in her training. However, this is something you should know. It's about Harry Potter."

"Harry?" asked Ted.

"Cadet Tonks informs me you two took him in over the summer?" asked Amelia.

"We did," said Andromeda. "Albus asked us to after it was discovered that Harry was living with a family of muggles that was abusing him."

"Is there a problem with him living with us?" asked Ted.

"Of course not," said Amelia. "Albus personally filed all the necessary paperwork for your rightful guardianship over Harry. However, something recently came to light in regards to Harry earlier this month. I would have come to talk to you sooner about it, but the case is still open and we're still going through evidence."

"What is it?" asked Andromeda.

"It would seem that Delores Umbridge was an unknown follower of You-Know-Who," said Amelia. "We found out after she committed suicide in her cell. We also found out that while Harry was living with those muggles, she was blackmailing someone in the Ministry to keep tabs on any magic in their neighborhood."

"Oh my," said Andromeda.

"Were they still watching Harry when he came to live with us?" asked Ted.

"Not that we can tell," said Amelia. "However, I just wanted to let you know about this so you can keep an eye out for anything odd. Harry is your responsibility after all."

"Oh, we will," said Ted. "We swore when we took him in that we would do everything in our power to keep his safe."

"Good," said Amelia. "Now that that is out of the way, I understand it that Harry is friends with my Susan?"

"So he's said in his letters home," said Andromeda. "Along with Neville Longbottom… It's amazing how three children whose lives were so affected by that war ended up friends with each other."

"Fate is very curious sometimes," said Amelia just as the scarlet colored engine pulled up along the platform.

They only had to wait a few minutes before Harry, Neville, Susan, Hermione, and a slightly sleepy and yawning Hannah stepped off of the train.

"HARRY!" Ted called out, waving his hand in the air so the young boy could easily spot him.

Harry smiled when he saw the two of them and ran through the crowd to get to them.

"Hey," Harry said as he hugged both of them in turn. "I missed you guys."

"We missed you too," said Andromeda as she finished hugging him. "Did you have a good term?"

"Mostly," said Harry. "Professor Snape went back to his old self after his probation was done."

Andromeda scowled as she bit back the curse on the tip of her tongue. She had told Dumbledore that probation for the man was a waste of time, and that he would slip back into his old habits sooner rather than later. She would definitely be having a word with the man when the next term started.

"Hey Auntie," Susan said as she and Neville walked up, both Hermione and Hannah were off with their parents already.

"Susan," Amelia said as she hugged her niece. "Ah, Neville, just the person I was looking for as well. Your grandmother sends her apologies that she couldn't personally pick you up. Unfortunately, she is currently stuck in a meeting going over some of the details for the Ministry Yule Ball. So, she asked me to pick you up bring you back to her at the Ministry."

"That's okay," said Neville. "I understand. It's a busy job being Minister."

"Indeed," said Amelia. "Especially since she likes to keep up to date from all the branches of the Ministry. Honestly, it is refreshing to see a Minister for Magic that is actually paying attention to what is going on and not just leaving the day to day stuff to their underlings while going off to find a way to get their name in the paper so everyone thinks they are doing a good job."

"Have an opinion about the late Cornelius Fudge, do we?" asked Ted with a grin.

"I know it is wrong to speak ill of the dead," said Amelia. "But until Augusta took over, I had forgotten what a real Minister for Magic could do. You should be proud Neville. Because of her, the auror department will have a full hiring of cadets shortly. Not to mention that she is already petitioning to have the next Quidditch World Cup here in Britain, which we'll hear the selection in the next few days."

"Seriously?" asked Harry. "That would be awesome. Especially if the English National Team makes it in."

"A Quidditch fan, I see," said Amelia with a smile.

"You have no idea," said Ted, thinking back to the hours he and Harry had spent during the summer talking about the sport. It once again made him thank whatever higher power there was for bringing the young man into his life, as Harry was the son he had always wanted.

"Harry," Hermione said as she ran over. "Do you have a minute? I want you to meet my parents."

Harry looked at Ted and Andromeda, who both smiled and nodded.

"Sure," Harry said.

Hermione smiled, grabbed him by the hand and dragging him suddenly away, causing him to stumble and almost fall.

"Mum, dad, this is Harry Potter," Hermione said when they reached her parents. "Harry, these are my parents, Michelle and Ian Granger."

"A pleasure to meet you both," Harry said, shaking their hands.

"It's nice to finally meet you," said Michelle. "Hermione has written home about you in all of her letters."

"Mum?!" Hermione moaned in embarrassment as she blushed.

"What? You have," said Michelle. "There's nothing to be embarrassed about."

"Perhaps our little girl is growing up and has her first crush," said Ian.

"I do not," said Hermione. She then looked at Harry and said, "I do not have a crush on you." She then looked back at her parents. "I do not have a crush on him."

Both Michelle and Ian smiled, and soon Harry caught on and was smiling as well.

"Hermione," Harry said as he placed a claming hand on her shoulder. "I think they are playing a prank on you."

"What?" asked Hermione, and when her parents nodded in agreement, the young witch growled in frustration and stormed off.

"I have to say, she has lightened up a bit," said Ian. "Before, when anyone would pull a joke on her, she would completely dress them down. Even us."

"I take it you had a hand in that?" asked Michelle.

"A little," said Harry. "Hermione does tend to be a little high strung at times, so my friends and I are trying to get her to relax a little before she makes herself ill from stress. We're not all the way there yet, but she has calmed down a little."

"We can tell," said Michelle.

"Well, " said Ian. "We better go before Hermione finds a book on how to hotwire a car and leaves us behind."

"It was nice to meet you Harry," Michelle said before the two of them followed after their daughter.

Harry made his way back over to his family and noticed that Amelia, Susan, and Neville had already left.

He was about to ask where they went when Ted said, "They had to leave as Neville's grandmother is expecting him."

"Ah," said Harry, nodding his head.

"Well, it's getting late," said Andromeda. "We still need to have dinner, so I think shopping will have to wait for tomorrow. What would you li…"

"Pizza," Harry quickly said with a smile on his face.

He had his first pizza during the summer just a few days after coming to live with the Tonks' and it quickly became his all time favorite food. In fact, if Harry had the choice to pick all of his meals, he would eat pizza for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The young wizard was quite disappointed that Hogwarts never offered pizza during any of the meals.

"Alright," said Ted with a smile, who also was fond of pizza, though not to the same extent as Harry.

"Very well," Andromeda said with a small sigh. "But we are getting a salad as well. You need to have something healthy with your meal."

"That's fine," said Harry. As long as he had his pizza, he would be happy. Plus, the Italian place they usually ordered their pizza from made an awesome salad that had sliced pepperoni in it as well as salami and little chunks of mozzarella, and used imported balsamic vinegar as dressing, which really brought out the flavor in everything.

OoOoOoOoOoO

"WAKE UP!"

Harry was startled out of his peaceful sleep and jumped out of bed. Unfortunately, his leg was tangled in his blanket, so he fell down to the floor.

"Ow," Harry groaned as he heard laughter coming from the opposite side of his bed, and when he sat up, found Tonks doubled over with a huge grin on her face.

"That," she said, trying to catch her breath. "That was priceless."

Harry grabbed his wand from the table beside his bed and pointed it at her with plans of using a tickling hex on her since she seemed so found of laughing at that moment.

"Ah, ah, ah," Tonks said, wagging her finger at him. "Can't use magic outside of school. I'd hate to have to arrest my favorite little brother for breaking the law."

Harry scowled at Tonks as she stuck out her tongue at him and started laughing again.

"I will get even with you for this," Harry said.

"Sure, sure," Tonks said as she waved off his threat and headed towards the door. "Anyways, hurry up and get dressed. Mum wants to have breakfast before we all go shopping."

Harry grumbled to himself as he set his wand back on his bedside table before untangling his legs from his blanket and getting up. After a quick shower and getting dressed, Harry headed down stairs to the kitchen and was greeted by the welcoming scent of breakfast.

"Hurry up and eat," Andromeda said as she set down a plate of waffles and bacon in front of Harry. "We have a lot of shopping to get done, not to mention that was still have to decorate the house for Christmas."

"Decorate?" asked a slightly confused Harry.

"Yes, decorate," said Andromeda. "You know, the tree and some garland, and stockings around the floo."

"People actually do that?" asked Harry. "I thought that was only in movies."

During his time with the Dursley's, they never once decorated the house for Christmas. Not even a tree. They just had three neat piles of presents for each of them, which they greedily tore into while Harry was forced to stand there holding a garbage bag for the shredded and torn wrapping paper. Then, while they all enjoyed their new gifts, Harry was sent to the kitchen to prepare the large holiday meal for dinner that night.

"Of course they do," said Ted. "Well, that normal ones do. It's only weird freaks that don't enjoy the festivities of the holiday season and view it only as a day to get free gifts from other people."

Harry could help but smile. For years, the Dursley's had called him a freak. But now, looking back on the life he used to live, and seeing how other people lived, he was beginning to see that he had been the only normal person living at Number Four, Privet Drive.

"Those muggles really never decorated?" asked Tonks, who had one of her boot covered feet resting on the chair she was sitting on, and her chin perched atop her knee.

"Nope," said Harry after swallowing a bit of bacon.

"Not even a tree?" she asked.

"Not even a tree," said Harry.

"Weird," said Tonks.

OoOoOoOoOoO

"You wished to see me?" Snape said as he walked into Dumbledore's office.

"Ah, Severus, yes," said Dumbledore as he looked up from the recent report from the Ministry. "Please, have a seat."

Snape walked over to Dumbledore's desk and sat in one of the chairs across from the Headmaster.

"Lemon drop?" Dumbledore offered the potions master.

"I'll pass," Snape said.

"Suit yourself," said Dumbledore as he selected one of the treats and placed it in his mouth. "Now, the reason I asked to see you goes back to that night you came to me for help. Do you remember which night I am talking about?"

"You mean that night that I asked you to help protect and save Lily's life and failed to do so?" asked Snape in return.

"What happened was not my fault," said Dumbledore. "Nor really yours, to an extent."

"You'll never let me forget that, will you?" asked Snape, who had a slight sneer on his face.

"We must all pay for our sins," said Dumbledore, who knew that feeling very well as when his time eventually came to an end, he would have to pay for his own in regards to his sister. "As I said, it really was not truly the fault of either of us. No one could have guessed that James' best friend would turn against him."

"Is this why you brought me here?" asked Snape. "To remember old times? I do that enough each time I am forced to see Potter sitting in my class."

"No," said Dumbledore. "That is not the reason. The reason is because when you came to me for help, I told you I would help protect you as well, as long as you told me the names of everyone that followed Voldemort."

"And I did," said Snape. "All except for Black, who he had kept secret from everyone. Not even his dear Bellatrix knew that her cousin had joined his side."

"Then why did you not inform me about Delores Umbridge?" asked Dumbledore.

"Obviously because she was not a follower of his," said Snape.

"The Dark Mark found branded on her tells a different story," said Dumbledore.

Snape sat there in stunned silence. He thought back to his time as a Death Eater. He had joined the Dark Lord's ranks because of his muggle father who had abused him and his mother for years. That deep seeded hatred for one man led him to want to inflict that pain back on as many muggles as he could. Unfortunately, he very rarely got to partake in those actions as Voldemort took advantage of his potion making skills. While followers like Malfoy, Nott, and LeStrange were out instilling fear into the wizarding world, he was stuck in his well stocked potions lab, brewing up whatever his master desired.

It was only by a strange bit of luck that he was in the Hogs Head the night Dumbledore was interviewing Trelawney and overheard part of that prophecy. After he had been tossed out by the barman that oddly smelled like goats, he quickly returned to his master and informed him of what he had heard. Voldemort had rewarded him for his service by including him in his inner circle of his most trusted followers.

And for a time, life was good.

Snape took a small bit of pleasure when he was sent out to torture and kill those that would dare to openly defy his master. Not to the extent that Bellatrix would, for even Snape could tell that she was beyond mental after witnessing her dancing a waltz by herself in the freshly spilled blood of whomever she had just killed.

However, one day, his outlook on the life he had been living changed when Voldemort had informed him that he must kill the Potter's. He gave no reason other than that they had been a thorn in his side for far too long.

Snape, who still held feelings for Lily, begged his master to spare her life.

"She is a filthy mudblood," said Voldemort. "Why should I allow her to live?"

"As a reward to me, who has faithfully served you since I took your mark," said Snape. "I wish to use her as my plaything."

A dark grin crossed Voldemort's pale face.

"Very well," said Voldemort after a short period of silence. "I will spare her and bring her to you to use as you see fit. If you do me something in return."

"Anything," said Snape.

"I wish for you to become a professor at Hogwarts," said Voldemort.

"My lord?" asked a confused Snape.

"Dumbledore and his Order have been an obstacle long enough," said Voldemort. "And while we are winning this war, it is taking far to long with him attempting to stop us every chance they get. You will become a professor at the school and gain his confidence. You will find a way to join his Order and spy for me. He will undoubtedly be suspicious of you at first. Which is why we will sacrifice some of my more recent followers by you telling Dumbledore where they will attack. And then, when the time is right, we will present Dumbledore with what he will believe is a chance to put an end to the war for good. That is when we shall spring out trap and destroy them all in one fail swoop. And with no one to stand in my way, Britain shall be mine."

"A brilliant plan, my lord," said Snape.

"Go now," said Voldemort. "Report back to me when you have done as I commanded."

"Yes, my lord," said Snape as he rose to his feet and left the room.

He had barely taken two steps out of the room when he heard Bellatrix's voice from within. He hadn't even known she was in the room with them.

"Do you really plan on sparing the mudblood whore?" the demented witch asked.

"Of course not," said Voldemort. "She will die, just like her husband and son will die. Though, I will give her a false sense of hope by telling her I will spare her life in exchange for her son. Though, I do not believe she will take it… No. She will die, and Severus will except whatever I tell him."

Snape seethed with anger when he heard what his master was going to do. A part of him wanted to rush into the room and kill the man where he sat. However, he stayed his hand, knowing that he would never stand a chance against such a powerful wizard.

So instead he made a choice.

That night he went to Dumbledore and told him everything. He told him of how he had informed Voldemort of the prophecy. Of his rise into the ranks of the inner circle. Of the people he had killed. And of Voldemort's plans to kill the Potter's.

"I have done many things," said Snape as he sat in Dumbledore's office that night. "My biggest regret is turning my back on the one true friend I had as a child. Which is why I cannot let her die. You have to help her. You must save her."

"Of course I will," said Dumbledore. "And this brings us a rare opportunity. Voldemort believes you are faithful to him. We can use his own plan against him and end this war."

Snape shook his head, bringing him out of his own thoughts and back to the present.

" I'm telling you, she was not a Death Eater," said Snape. "Back then, she was the head of the Improper Use of Magic office. Someone of that position would have been well within the inner circle, as they would be able to report any magic detected. She would have been a valuable asset of the Dark Lord."

"Then why does she have the Dark Mark on her right arm?" asked Dumbledore.

"Right arm?" asked Snape.

"Yes," said Dumbledore, who then pulled out a photo showing the brand on her arm.

Snape looked at the photo for a moment and scoffed.

"She was one of those," he said.

"One of who?" asked Dumbledore.

"A pretender," said Snape. "When the Dark Lord rose to power and was instilling fear into everyone, there were a few who tried to take advantage of it without actually joining. They would then go around and intimidate people into getting what they wanted by claiming that they followed the Dark Lord and showing their 'mark'. Usually they were poor copies of the actual mark. She seems to have done a fair good job on her own. However, the Dark Lord always branded his followers on the left arm."

Dumbledore thought about what Snape had just told him, and based on what they had learned about Umbridge, it would seem to fit. It would also explain how she was so easily able to blackmail as many people as she did. The fear that Voldemort and his followers instilled was still felt by many to this day.

"Very well," Dumbledore finally said. "I will inform Madam Bones about this. Though, I doubt many will believe. To them, the mark is the mark."

"Have them check the mark for the protein charm," said Snape. "It is infused into it, and is how he was able to summon his followers when he wanted them."

"If her mark lacks the charm, then she is obviously a pretender," said Dumbledore. "Very good… Thank you for your help in this matter."

OoOoOoOoOoO

"My feet are killing me," Tonks said when she and her family returned home late that afternoon from Christmas shopping. She pulled the shrunken bags she had in her pocket out and set them on the table before falling back into the couch and letting out a sigh of contentment.

"Well, maybe if you didn't wear those boots," Andromeda said as she picked up the bags her daughter had set down and enlarged them.

"I like my boots," said Tonks. "Do you know how hard it was to find a pair of these in my size? I had to go to a muggle thrift store and spent hours digging through crap to find them."

"Still, how do you expect to meet a nice young man when you dress like that?" asked Andromeda.

"There is nothing wrong with the way I dress," snapped Tonks.

Harry felt someone grab his arm, and when he turned, he saw Ted pulling him towards the kitchen.

"Trust me," Ted said as they entered the kitchen. "It's best not to be near ground zero when they start arguing."

"Why?" asked Harry.

"MY HAIR IS FINE!" shouted Tonks. "BUT IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT, THEN I'LL CHANGE IT! HOW ABOUT THIS? A NICE BRIGHT GREEN MOWHAWK!"

"That's why," said Ted.

"Does this happen often?" Harry asked as the shouting between mother and daughter continued.

"Once or twice a year," said Ted as he started to make some hot chocolate. "Dora is a very strong willed young woman. Something she gets from her mother. So, when two women who are strong willed and opinionated disagree on something… Well, let's just say that it's best to stay clear."

"OH, PLEASE!" shouted Tonks. "I HAVEN'T BEEN A VIRGIN SINCE I WAS FIFTEEN!"

Ted winced when he heard that. No father wanted to know that his daughter had sexual relations with another man. Even when their daughter is married and has children, he will continue to blissfully live in ignorance that she has been deflowered.

"Awkward," Harry said as he sat down at the table, and a few minutes later, Ted sat down and handed Harry a steaming mug of hot chocolate.

"Good?" Ted asked.

Harry took a sip and smiled.

"Brilliant," said Harry.

"It was my mum's recipe," said Ted after he had taken a sip of his own. "After Hogwarts and I moved out into my own place, I tried using magic to make it. It didn't taste right. I thought I had messed it up, so I the next time I visited my parents, I asked her about it. She said I did everything right except for one thing."

"What was that?" asked Harry.

"There was no love in it," said Ted. "You see, by using magic as a shortcut, I neglected the love and care that goes into something that you actually take the time to make. Of course, at the time I thought she was mental. But a few days later, it was cold and rainy outside, so I went to make a mug. I was about to use magic when I remembered what my mum had said. So, I gave it a shot and did it the muggle way. And guess what?"

"She was right?" asked Harry and Ted nodded.

"She was," he said. "Which is why when I have the time, I won't use magic to do something. Especially cooking. Though, it took me a while to get Andi to try it. Oh boy, was that an uphill battle," he said with a slight chuckle.

"I JUST DON'T WANT TO SEE YOU GET HURT!" shouted Andromeda.

Ted sighed and Harry looked questioningly at the man.

"Andi wasn't really happy when she found out that Dora was going to be an auror," said Ted.

"Why not?" asked Harry.

"The last war," said Ted. "A lot of aurors died during the early days, as they were the first to be targeted by You-Know-Who. And those that made it through… You haven't met Alastor Moody, have you?"

Harry shook his head no.

"He's the auror training Dora," said Ted. "He's… Well, there is no easy way to say it."

"Just tell me," said Harry.

Ted sighed and said, "He's a little messed up. He lost his eye and his leg. Scars all over… Andi is worried that one day that might happen to our daughter. Or worse."

It was then that Harry noticed it had grown quiet in the other room. He was about to ask Ted about it when the man stood up and slowly made his way to the door, which he opened as quietly could and took a peek.

"Come," he said to Harry, motioning the young wizard over.

Harry got up from his seat and made his way over to the door, and when he looked out, he was a little surprised by what he saw.

Sitting on the couch was Andromeda and Tonks, both crying and hugging each other.

"It's always the same between them," Ted said as he closed the door and returned to his seat, as did Harry. "The two of them bottle everything up till it explodes in a huge shouting match and then ends with them crying and hugging and forgiving each other for whatever had been said, only for it to happen again in a few months."

"Why?" asked Harry.

"That, my boy, is one of the great mysteries of women," said Ted, who then took a sip of his hot chocolate. "Another mystery is why women can't be bothered to check and make sure the seat is down before they sit."

OoOoOoOoOoO

"Pretenders?" asked Augusta as she looked at Dumbledore.

The two of them sat in her office at the Ministry of Magic. The office had a nice, warm, homey feel to it. The kind of office that gave off an inviting feel to those that came to see her.

"Yes," said Dumbledore. "Apparently, there were some during the war that took advantage of the fear that Voldemort wrought."

Augusta shivered slightly at the name, but quickly shook it off. If anyone had the right to say that foul man's name, it was Albus Dumbledore.

"And how do you know your source is telling the truth?" asked Augusta.

"He has no reason to lie to me," said Dumbledore.

"You trust him?" she asked.

"There was a time I would not hesitate to say that I trusted him with my life," said Dumbledore. "However, a recent event over the summer made me realize that not everything in the world is actually the way I wish it could be. And while I believe Severus would not lie about this, right now I know I cannot fully trust him. The temptation of the dark arts still dwells inside him, and as long as it does, there is a chance he could fall back to his old ways."

"If he turns from the opportunity?" asked Augusta.

"Then my trust in him will grow," said Dumbledore.

"And if he succumbs to temptation?" she asked.

"Then he will have to pay for his crimes," said Dumbledore. "Including the ones he committed before he turned and asked for my help."

"You do realize that would mean one of two options," said Augusta. "The dementors kiss, or…"

"Or the Veil," said Dumbledore with a trace of sadness in his voice.

He really hoped that it would never come to that, but at the same time he also knew that the possibility existed. In the end, only time would tell.

OoOoOoOoOoO

"PRESENTS!" Tonks' magically amplified voice rang through the house, startling awake Ted, Andromeda, and Harry, the latter once again falling out of his bed.

After untangling himself, Harry stood up and headed towards his bedroom door.

"I swear, she is not to old for me to put her across my knee," Harry heard Andromeda say as he opened his bedroom door.

Ted just chuckled before he noticed Harry.

"Harry Christmas Harry," said Ted.

"Happy Christmas," said Harry, who then found himself being wrapped up in a hug by Andromeda.

"Happy Christmas," she said as she let him go, and the three of them headed downstairs to find Tonks sitting in front of the tree as she looked through the pile of presents.

"Happy Christmas," Tonks said with an overly cheerful tone.

"Do you know what time it is?" Andromeda asked.

"Of course," said Tonks with a huge grin. "It's time for presents."

Andromeda rolled her eyes and she thought that no matter how old her daughter got, she would always revert back to a little girl come Christmas morning.

"I'll make some coffee," said Ted as he kissed his wife on the cheek before heading into the kitchen.

"Here Harry," said Tonks as he sat down and she handed him a wrapped gift. "Your first Christmas with us, so you get to open the first present."

Harry sat there staring at the small rectangle shaped present in his hands as a flood of emotions welled up inside him. It was the first Christmas present he could remember ever getting. Of course, he was sure his parents had gotten him presents for his very first Christmas before they died. But this was the first one he could remember and wanted to savor the moment.

"Well, come on," said Tonks. "It's not gonna open itself."

Harry shook his head clear before he ripped away the paper as Ted sat down next to his wife and handed her a cup of coffee.

Harry's eyes shot wide open when he saw what was inside the box.

"Are these…" he started to ask, afraid if he did that it would either turn out to be a joke or that they might vanish into thin air.

"They are," Ted said a smile of his own.

"What is it?" asked Tonks as she moved closer to take a look.

"They're tickets to the Quidditch World Cup in a few years," said Harry as he gently ran a finger over them.

"You got tickets?" Tonks asked with a huge smile.

"I did," said Ted. "They went on sale last month, so I rushed out and got four of them."

"Wait," said Harry, who now had a confused look on his face. "If the game isn't for a few more years, why are they selling them now? They don't even have the teams on the tickets."

"The Quidditch World Cup is a big deal Harry," said Ted. "They sell the tickets far in advance so they know how many people will be coming and how big to build the stadium. As for the teams, when the final two teams make it, the tickets are charmed to list their names."

"Oh," said Harry, now understanding. And while it seemed a little weird to him, it did make sense.

"You're gonna love it Harry," said Tonks. "We went to the Cup where Japan played against America when I was thirteen. It was wicked. The game lasted close to nine hours before America caught the Snitch."

"It was a good one," said Ted.

"Yes Harry, these two maniacs sat and watched the entire game," Andromeda said with a smile. "Me on the other hand, I was smart and went back to the tent and got some sleep for a few hours halfway through the game."

"Tent?" asked Harry.

"Oh yes," said Ted. "Since people come from all over the world to see the Cup, they just bring tents with them and camp out in a huge gathering. It's days full of parties and meeting new people from all over the world. That game was held in Canada, but this one we'll be going to is here in England."

"So no camping?" asked Harry.

"No, we'll still bring the tent," said Andromeda. "However, we'll probably only stay for a night or two. It all depends on how long the game lasts."

"Okay, enough talk about the Cup for now," said Tonks. "More presents… Here mum."

Tonks handed Andromeda a present.

This went on for the next half hour, with each of them opening one present in turn until there were none left.

Harry sat there, slightly in awe at the amount of presents he had received, not only from the Tonks', but his friends as well. Hermione had gotten him a book on Charms, while Neville had gotten him a book about rare Asian plants. Susan had sent Harry a wand polishing kit, and Hannah had sent him a box full of sweets from a place called Honeydukes.

As he looked at what his friends had sent him, he was glad he had listened to Andromeda when she had suggested that he pick out some gifts for his friends.

There were other gifts he received as well, including a photo album from Hagrid full of pictures of his parents from the time they were at Hogwarts to just shortly after he had been born.

When Harry had turned the page and saw the moving photo of himself as a baby being held by his mother while his dad stood next to them, he could feel the tears start to roll down his cheeks.

"Harry, what is it?" Andromeda asked, the worry evident in her voice when she noticed him crying.

Harry didn't say anything, and instead showed her the photo.

"Oh," was all she said.

Andromeda then sat next to Harry on the floor and pulled him into a hug, at which point, he let go and really started to cry.

As Andromeda continued to hold Harry as he cried himself out, Tonks sat awkwardly off to the side. She had never really been one for crying. Growing up, whenever anyone would hurt her feelings and make her upset, she would just punch them. Unless it was her parents. Then she would just scream and yell at them before storming off to her room.

Just as Harry started to calm down and was telling Andromeda that he wished he could remember his parents, there came a knock at the door.

"I'll get it," said Ted gently as he stood up and headed for the door.

Ted opened the door and was quite surprised by who he saw standing thing.

"Albus," said Ted.

"Happy Christmas to you and yours," Dumbledore said with a twinkle in his eye. "I hope I am not interrupting anything?"

"No," said Ted. "No, no. Not at all. Please, come in."

Ted stepped aside and allowed the elder wizard into his home.

"I must say, I love the decorations," Dumbledore said as he looked around.

"Thank you," said Ted. "Though, I'm sure they are nowhere near as nice as the decorations at Hogwarts. I remember my first Christmas there and seeing those huge trees and the singing armor."

"Ah yes," said Dumbledore as he smiled. "The professors do take pride in decorating the castle each year for the students who couldn't spend the holidays with their families."

"So, what brings you here?" asked Ted.

"Well, actually, I came to see Harry," said Dumbledore.

"Harry?" asked Ted.

"Indeed," said Dumbledore. "You see, I have a present for him."

Dumbledore then pulled out a gift wrapped is shimmering paper from within his robes.

"You didn't have to get him anything," said Ted.

"I know," said Dumbledore. "And I didn't. It's something that belonged to his father."

"Oh," said Ted. "Then I am sure that whatever it is will beat every other present he received this year."

Ted showed Dumbledore into the sitting room, and found that the scene from earlier had ended, as Harry and Tonks were looking through the photo album and laughing and his wife could be heard in the kitchen, more than likely getting started on dinner for that night.

"Hello Harry," Dumbledore said.

Both Harry and Tonks looked up in surprise.

"Professor," Harry said in shock as he got to his feet. "Hi… Did I do something wrong before I left school?"

Tonks quickly covered her mouth to muffle the laughter that came out.

"Not to my knowledge," said Dumbledore. "No, the reason I came is to bring you a present."

"Oh," said Harry. "You didn't have to get me anything sir. You gave me a lifetimes worth of presents by letting me live here with the Tonks'."

Dumbledore smiled at the young boy. It warmed his heart to see that Harry wasn't spoiled in any way, and in fact appreciated the more important things in life, such as family.

"Actually Harry," Dumbledore said. "This is something that should belong to you anyways."

He then handed Harry the present, which Harry started to open.

"It belonged to your father," Dumbledore continued. "I had borrowed it from him before you and your parents had gone into hiding. I meant to actually give it to you on your birthday, however I was so busy getting things ready for the school year, that I forgot."

Harry pulled away the wrapping paper to reveal a cloak. It was a dark red in color and felt like the finest silk.

"Bloody hell," Tonks said as she realized what it was from her auror training.

"Dora," Ted said. "Language."

"Sorry dad," said Tonks. "But… Do you know what that is?"

"It's a cloak," said Ted.

"Not just a cloak," said Tonks. "Here Harry, put it on."

Tonks helped Harry put the cloak on and a second later, the young wizard had vanished into thin air.

"It's an invisibility cloak," Tonks continued.

"Indeed it is," said Dumbledore, who couldn't help but smile at the surprised look on Ted's face.

"This is brilliant," an invisible Harry said from somewhere over by the Christmas tree.

"Okay Harry, you can take it off now," said Ted.

"Awww, do I have to?" Harry's voice asked, now from over by the couch.

"Now, young man," Ted said firmly.

"Alright," Harry said, sounding a little dejected, and then reappeared a moment later. Though, he did have a smile on his face and lovingly held the cloak that once belonged to his father in his hands.

It really was the best Christmas ever.

OoOoOoOoOoO

Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts, was sitting in his hut on the edge of the forbidden forest as he whittled away at a piece of wood and waited for the kettle he had put on to boil.

It was just as the kettle started to whistle that someone knocked on his door.

"'Eyh, I'm commin'," Hagrid said as he pulled the kettle off of the fire before opening the door.

"'Ello?" he said, and surprisingly found no one there.

He shrugged, figuring it was just the wind and was about to close the door when something caught his eye.

Sitting at the foot of the door was a basket with a large egg in it.

"Wha's this now?" Hagrid asked himself as he bent down and picked up the basket. Tied to the basket, he saw a tag.

_To Hagrid: Enjoy your new friend. Happy Christmas._

Hagrid took a closer look at the egg and then gasped in surprise when he realized that it was a dragon egg.

The half-giant quickly looked around to make sure no one saw him before he went back into his hut and slammed the door closed and locked it.

OoOoOoOoOoO

**A/N:** So… Yeah. Umbridge isn't a Death Eater. I'm a little surprised that no one guessed it. I thought everyone would be leaving me comments about having figured it out since I put the Dark Mark on the wrong arm.

In regards to the names of Hermione's parents, I decided to forgo the usual Dan and Emma that they have been named in almost every fan fiction, and instead went with the names of the actor and actress that played the roles in Deathly Hallows Pt. 1.

Speaking of Hermione's parents, I learned something very interesting when I was looking to see if Rowling ever did list what their names were. It would seem that in a very early draft of the first book, the Potter's were in hiding in a house on a small island. And on the shore of the mainland just off that island lived the Granger's. And on the night that Voldemort came and was defeated by baby Harry, Mr. Granger heard and saw an explosion on the island and took his boat over to check it out… Makes you wonder what could have been, had Rowling decided to stick with that.

We're getting very close to the main event. Quirrell and Voldemort's attempt to steal the stone. Will they succeed or fail? Who knows… Well, I guess I do. But you will just have to wait. But I will tell you one thing… Aside from Quirrell, someone is going to die.

Let the speculation begin.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen – Blown Away**

Quirrell stood by the window in his private quarters as he stared out where Hagrid's hut used to be with a smile on his face. All that remained of the wooden home was a smoldering pile of ash and the stone foundation.

Hagrid, as Voldemort suspected, took the dragon egg Quirrell had left on his doorstep and tried to hatch and raise it on his own. Unfortunately for Hagrid, the little Norwegian Ridgeback has an upset tummy and a bad dream one night, and when it had woken up in a slight panic from the dream, it let loose a burp fueled by fire, setting an entire wall ablaze.

Hagrid grabbed little Norbert and rushed outside just as Professor's Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Flitwick came running. Though, the three of them were too late to stop the fire from burning down Hagrid's home and all of his possessions, including what remained of his wand that he had hidden inside of a pink umbrella.

When Dumbledore found out about the baby dragon, he was quite displeased with the half-giant, telling him that he should have known better and to have come to him with the egg when he found it on his doorstep.

Of course, Dumbledore forgave Hagrid, knowing that the man had no ill intentions with the dragon. Not to mention that the temptation must have been too much since Hagrid had wanted a dragon since his third and last year as a student. And though it pained the man to do it, he had had the dragon sent away to the preserve in Romania, telling them that they had found it wandering around alone in the forbidden forest.

Dumbledore told Hagrid that he would get professor's Flitwick and McGonagall working on rebuilding his home just in time before the students returned from the Christmas holidays and the new term began. He also promised Hagrid that he would replace his 'umbrella' as well, knowing that he had secretly kept the broken pieces of his wand in it.

"Master," Quirrell said as he watched Flitwick and McGonagall join Hagrid and began to create him a new home from a pile of materials they had brought with them. "Why did you have me send the half breed the dragon egg?"

"You question me?" Voldemort asked with a hiss.

"Of course not," said Quirrell. " I am… Just curious."

Voldemort was silent for a moment before he said, "To break his spirit. You have heard him go on about wanting a dragon before. And so, I gave him one, knowing that it would be taken away. And so now, when we make our move, he will be too crushed at the loss of his 'little friend' to try and intervene."

"You truly are the most brilliant wizard I have ever met," said Quirrell.

"Yes," said Voldemort. "I know I am."

OoOoOoOoOoO

"Harry, time to go," Andromeda called up the stairs.

Harry came rushing down the stairs, dragging his trunk behind him.

"Ready," Harry said, looking forward to seeing his friends again and starting the second term of his first year.

"Good," said Andromeda as she pulled out her wand. "Now to check your trunk."

"Oh, come on," Harry said in what almost sounded like a whine. "I'm not taking my broom with me. Look, it's still right over there where I left it last night."

Harry pointed to his Nimbus 2000, which was leaning against the wall by the door.

"There are still other things I don't want you taking with you," said Andromeda. "Like a certain cloak."

Harry gulped when she said that, because he did in fact have his dad's old invisibility cloak packed in his trunk.

"Oh mum, give Harry a break," said Tonks as she came down the stairs. "Harry's not a delinquent like I was. He's a good kid and wouldn't take anything he shouldn't be."

"Uh huh," said Andromeda. "Come on, I need to check it. The sooner I do, the sooner we can get going."

Harry let out a quiet sigh, knowing that there was no way out of it.

Andromeda waved her wand and the trunk gave off a green glow.

"Alright then," she said. "Harry, I'm proud of you for not trying to take the cloak with you."

"What?" asked a surprised and confused Harry. He knew for a fact that he had packed the cloak, and had also checked to make sure it was there at least five times.

Andromeda sighed and said, "Look, I understand you aren't used to compliments because of… Them. But you are a good kid, and when you do good things, we're proud of you."

"That's right," said Ted.

Harry just stood there, completely confused by what was going on.

"Um… Right," said Harry. "Okay."

"Well, I gotta get going," said Tonks. "Need to be at the Ministry shortly for the next leg of my training. Come here you."

Tonks pulled Harry into a tight hug and Harry felt Tonks stuff something into his pocket.

"You owe me one," she whispered into his ear before letting go.

It was then that Harry finally understood what had happened. Tonks knew that Harry would have his invisibility cloak and try to take it to school. She also knew that her mum would never allow it, and so she took it from his trunk in order to slip it to him after her mum did her usual check.

Harry smiled at Tonks and gave a brief nod of his head, letting her know that he understood.

"Alright, let's get going," said Ted.

Andromeda took the trunk and apparated away while Harry took a hold of Ted's offered arm and the two of them apparated away.

OoOoOoOoOoO

"HARRY!"

Harry turned around just in time to be hit by a blond missile that hugged him.

"Hey Hannah," Harry coughed out since some of the air from his lungs had escaped when she impacted into him.

"Thank you so much for the present, I loved them," said Hannah.

Harry had gotten Hannah a set of Wizard War figures. Wizard War, as the man at the shop had explained to Harry, was a new game that was sort of like chess, but instead of a board, you just mark off an area you want to use, set your figures down and take turns commanding them in a fight against your friends. The figures just sounded perfect for Hannah, so he got her some for Christmas, and had Ted and Andromeda get him some as well.

"I'm glad you like them," said Harry. "I got a set as well, so when we have some time later, we can play against each other."

"Wicked," Hannah said with a huge grin.

"Have you seen anyone else yet?" Harry asked.

"They're already on the train," Hannah said. "I said I would wait on the platform to get you."

"Thanks," Harry said. He then turned to Ted and Andromeda. "I guess I should get going."

"Have a good second term," Ted said as he patted Harry on the shoulder.

Andromeda then pulled Harry into a hug and said, "Be good. And don't worry about Professor Snape. I'll be having a word with Dumbledore about him soon."

Andromeda could have talked to Dumbledore about it when he had visited on Christmas day, but decided not to put a damper on the day and instead pay a visit to him when the new term started.

"Okay," Harry said.

"I love you," Andromeda said as Hannah helped Harry carry his trunk and started towards the train.

"Love you guys to," Harry called over his shoulder.

OoOoOoOoOoO

Lucius Malfoy stood on the tourist boat as it traveled down the river Thames. He loathed the muggle world and the worthless lives that inhabited it. However, he also knew that the best place to meet someone and not risk being seen or overheard by someone from the Ministry was amongst the cattle.

"Lucius," a large, beefy man with a square jaw said as he moved next to him and looked out at the passing scenery.

"Bulstrode," said Lucius. "This better be good. I had plans this afternoon that I had to cancel in order to be here, and you know how I hate to cancel my plans."

"I wouldn't have bothered you unless this was important," said Bulstrode.

"Very well," said Lucius. "What is it?"

"It has to do with Delores Umbridge," said Bulstrode.

"That woman is dead," said Lucius.

"I know," said Bulstrode. "However, it turns out that she was a Pretender."

"I see," said Lucius. "And what does that have to do with me?"

"Not just you," said Bulstrode. "All of us. The true followers of the Dark Lord. Those of us that escaped imprisonment and those that were never revealed are now at risk. Our new Minister and Madam Bones are planning to take advantage of Umbridge having the mark as a reason to open a new investigation."

"So?" asked Lucius. "We made it through unscathed before, we shall do it again."

"Not this time," said Bulstrode. "This isn't the old regime. No amount of gold will buy our freedom this time. Longbottom has it out for us because of what the LeStrange's and Crouch did to her son and daughter-in-law. My contact in the DMLE has told me that they have placed a very large order for Veritaserum."

Lucius frowned slightly when he heard that. There were very few people in the world that had a natural immunity to Veritaserum. There of course were potions that one could take to beat it, but Bones would be smart enough to check for that beforehand.

The boat passed under the Tower Bridge as Lucius let out a sigh. There were really only two options available to them. The first was to run. If they did that, everyone would suspect them of being guilty, and he had worked too hard over the past years to fool everyone into believing that he was an upstanding member of society. But to stay would also be foolish. He would need an excuse for him and his family to leave the country.

"Tell me," said Lucius. "How much value do you place on this informant of yours?"

"He's just a tool to use," said Bulstrode. "Nothing more."

"Good," said Lucius. "I have an idea that will buy us some time while I make some preparations."

OoOoOoOoOoO

Dumbledore sat in his office as he went over some paperwork when the floo in his office flared to life. The elder wizard looked up just in time to see a man with brown robes and a salt and pepper beard longer than his own walk out of the emerald green flames.

"Nicolas," Dumbledore said as he stood up and came around his desk.

"Albee," Nicolas Flamel said with a huge smile on his face as he gave the other man a hug.

"What bring you here?" Albus asked as he gestured to a chair before conjuring a full tea tray and sitting down.

"Just wanted to see how my favorite pupil is doing," said Nicolas as he sat down and accepted a cup of tea. "Though, I see you never managed to learn to make tea wandlessly."

"I'm well, thank you for asking," said Dumbledore. "And no, I have not… I can see that the effects of no longer taking the potion are showing," Dumbledore said, trying to change the topic.

"Ah, yes," said Nicolas as he stroked his beard. "Perenelle tells me she is actually quite fond of the look. Says it makes me look dignified."

"It does suit you," said Dumbledore said.

"Perhaps," said Nicolas. "Though, in about a month, my hair will be as gray as yours."

"How are you two dealing with the effects?" Dumbledore asked.

"About as well as can be expected," said Nicolas. "There are a few moments when the rapid aging hits us quite suddenly as the potion works it way out of our system. Which brings me to why I am here."

"So you didn't just come by for a chat," said Dumbledore.

"No," said Nicolas with a small smile. "Perenelle and I are going through some of the stuff we own, which is actually quite a lot of stuff. You'd be amazed at how much junk one can collect over a little more than half a millennium."

"Look around friend," said Dumbledore as he waved his arm across his office. "I'm only one hundred and twenty, and I have more things than I can count and half of them I don't even know what they do."

Nicolas chuckled and said, "We are the sentimental type. Anyways, we have a collection of stuff that we would like you to have."

"I would be honored to have them," said Dumbledore.

"Including some of our early notes on dragon blood," said Nicolas.

Dumbledore smiled and his eye twinkled a little as he said, "See? I told you that I just misplaced them. And you were so adamant that I threw them out by mistake."

"Yes, yes," said Nicolas. "I was wrong and you were right. That's one for you. You still have a few hundred more to go before you can gloat about being smarter than me."

Dumbledore chuckled lightly. He would miss conversations like this with his oldest friend when he was gone. Had it not been for Nicolas Flamel, Albus Dumbledore would have grown to be a very different person.

OoOoOoOoOoO

It was the summer of eighteen ninety-nine when Nicolas Flamel first met a young Albus Dumbledore.

The night was slightly warm, and Nicolas was heading home to his wife when he came across a young man sitting at the mouth of an alley, holding his nose, which Nicolas could tell had been broken within the past few days. The young man's robes were dirty and slightly torn in places and there was an unmistakable redness around his eyes, indicating that he had been crying.

"Are you alright?" Nicolas asked, surprised when the young man suddenly jumped to his feet with his wand suddenly in his hand and took a few steps back.

"Stay back," the young man said. "I don't want any trouble."

"I mean to give you none," said Nicolas. "You just seem slightly distressed, and I wondered if I might be able to help is all."

"I don't need your help," said the young man. "I don't need no ones help."

"How about your nose?" asked Nicolas. "Do you know the healing spell to fix it?"

"Of course I do," said the young man. "I'm not some ignorant fool. Thing is, when I was hit, I guess they put a little magic into their punch, and so it wont fix itself."

"You must have really upset someone a great deal if they lost control of their magic when they hit you," said Nicolas.

The young man didn't say anything. He just nodded slightly in agreement.

Nicolas could tell that his defenses were starting to slowly come down.

"You know," Nicolas said as he sat down on one of the crates. "We are in a muggle area. It would probably be a good idea if you put your wand away before one of them noticed it. I would doubt you would want someone from the Ministry showing up."

The young man looked out at the street outside the alley and saw all of the muggles. He seemed to be weighing his options for a moment before he finally tucked his wand inside his robes.

"So… What brings you here on a night like this?" asked Nicolas.

"Nowhere else to go," said the young man as he leaned against the wall behind him.

"Nowhere?" asked Nicolas. "No family or friends?"

The young man suddenly got a pained look on his face.

"I see," said Nicolas when he saw the look. "So, which is it, family or friend?"

The young man was silent for a moment before he said, "Both."

"Care to talk about it?" asked Nicolas.

"No," said the young man.

"Are you sure?" asked Nicolas. "They say that confession is good for the soul."

"You wouldn't understand," said the young man.

Nicolas couldn't help but chuckle, which earned him a glare from the young man.

"My dear boy," said Nicolas. "I have been around for quite some time and traveled all over the world. So believe me when I say that there is very little in the world that I cannot understand."

The young man remained silent.

"How about some tea then?" Nicolas asked. With a wave of his hand, the air around the entrance to the alley shimmered for a moment before growing still, and with another wave of his hand, a full tea set appeared out of thin air. "Do you take any cream or sugar in your tea?"

The young man stared with wide eyes as Nicolas poured to cups of tea.

"T-t-two sugars," the young man stammered, still in awe at the sight of wandless magic.

Nicolas smiled to himself as he added two spoonfuls of sugar to a cup before handing it to the young man.

The young man hesitantly took a sip, still wary of the man who could be trying to poison him with the tea. And, to his surprise, the tea was one of the best cups of tea he had ever tasted.

"Good?" Nicolas asked.

"Very," said young man. "I've never had this kind before."

"It's from a leaf only found high up in the Himalayas," said Nicolas. "I heard about it long ago, and my wife begged me to try and get some. She's quite the tea lover, she is. And so, being the good husband that I am, I went to find it. Took me half a year to do it, but as you can taste, it was truly worth it."

"You spent half a year just to get some tea?" the young man asked.

"A small price to pay in the search for the perfect cup of tea," Nicolas said.

"Won't the muggles notice the floating tea tray?" the young man asked as he gestured towards the street.

"I put up a notice-me-not charm before conjuring the tea," said Nicolas. "As far as anyone that looks our way knows, this alley is empty."

The young man nodded and then grew silent. The two of them just sat there in silence for a few minutes as they drank their tea.

"I killed my sister," the young man finally said, earning a surprised look from Nicolas. "Or, I think I might have. There were so many spells from the three of us, it could have been any of us."

"Why don't you start from the beginning," Nicolas suggested.

The young man sighed as he set down his cup.

"I guess it all started back during my last year at Hogwarts," said the young man. "A student transferred from Durmstrang and we became quick friends. Mostly because we shared the same ideals… However, somewhere along the way, our ideas on how to achieve what we wanted changed. He wanted to force everyone to believe in a better world, while I wanted to help show them it was possible and let them decide for themselves."

"A worthy goal in life," said Nicolas.

"A few days ago, he came over to my family home and we started arguing," said the young man. "My brother got involved, mostly because our yelling was frightening our younger sister. I can't even remember how it reached the point where wands were drawn or who fired the first spell. All I know is that it ended when my sister cried out in pain. My brother and I rushed to her side while my 'friend' ran. We tried to save her, but whatever spell hit her was a dark one. Not one of the unforgivables, but it seemed like it was close. We buried her the next day, and when I tried to apologize to my brother, he hit me."

The young man indicated to his nose.

"I'm sorry for your loss," Nicolas said as he reached over and patted the young man on the shoulder. "But that still doesn't explain why you're out here in this alley."

"I couldn't go back home after the funeral," the young man said. "Things are too tense between my brother and I. Not to mention the memories."

Nicolas stared at the young man for a minute. He truly felt bad for him. The burden he was obviously carrying in regards to wondering if he had been the one to end the life of his sister must have been great. It was then that Nicolas made a decision.

"Well," he said. "Since it seems that you have nowhere else to go, why don't you come home with me?"

The young man looked up questioningly at Nicolas.

"Why?" asked the young man.

"Why not?" Nicolas asked in return.

"Because I might be a killer," the young man said. "Plus… I've done other things… I've dabbled with dark magic before."

"And?" asked Nicolas.

"I could be dangerous," said the young man.

"Yes, you could be," said Nicolas. "However, I'm willing to take that risk."

The young man stared at Nicolas for a bit. While he still didn't fully trust the man, the idea of having a roof over his head for the first time in a few days sounded good. Plus, he was also hungry, not having eaten anything since before his sister had died.

"Okay," the young man finally said.

"Good," said Nicolas. "However, there is one condition."

The young man gave Nicolas a questioning look.

"I'd like to know your name," said Nicolas. "Otherwise I'll have to call you 'boy' or 'hey you', and I don't think either of us really want that."

"Dumbledore," the young man said. "Albus Dumbledore."

OoOoOoOoOoO

Dumbledore was snapped out of his memories as his old friend snapped his fingers in front of his face.

"I'm sorry," Dumbledore said as he shook his head. "I must have drifted off there for a second."

"Reminiscing of old times?" Nicolas asked.

"Of the day we first met," confirmed Dumbledore.

Nicolas smiled and said, "Ah yes… Who could have guessed that that young man I met in that alley would have become one of my most trusted and closest friends."

"Not me," said Dumbledore. "In fact, I thought you might be some kind of pervert that would try something when we reached your home."

Nicolas let out a deep belly laugh upon hearing that, which in return he received some nasty glares from the paintings of previous Headmasters and Headmistresses that had actually been sleeping in their frames.

"The nerve of some people," said the painting of the previous Headmaster, Armando Dippet.

"Oh, stuff it, you old coot," Nicolas said as he wiped the tears of mirth from his eyes.

Dumbledore had to suppress the smile that threatened to break out. While he respected the man that had formally held his position, there had been many times where they disagreed with each other. The most prominent was back when Dumbledore had suspected Tom Riddle, now know to the world as Lord Voldemort, had something to do with the death of young Miss Myrtle, and not Hagrid.

"Well, I should get going before Perenelle complains that I'm leaving all the work for her to do," Nicolas said as he stood up.

Dumbledore stood as well and said, "I shall send Fawkes by after he has regrown from his burning day to pick up whatever it is you wish to leave me."

"Splendid," said Nicolas.

The two men shared a hug, which lasted for almost half a minute as they both knew that this could very well be the last time that they would ever see each other.

"Remember Albee," Nicolas said as he grabbed a pinch of floo powder and tossed it into the flames. "While this adventure may end, there is always another one waiting to begin on the other side."

And with that said, Nicolas stepped into the emerald green flames, called out his destination, and was gone.

OoOoOoOoOoO

"Oh, I am so excited," Hannah said as she bounced around as she walked with her friends out of the castle.

"Really?" asked Harry. "I had no idea. You hide it so well."

Both Neville and Susan giggled at Harry's obvious sarcasm, while Hermione rolled her eyes.

"You can't tell me you're not looking forward to our house's first Quidditch match," said Hannah. "Especially since rumor has it you'll be playing on the team next year."

"I did not say I wasn't looking forward to it," said Harry. "In fact, I'm hoping that we clobber Slytherin. Especially after how they played that game against Gryffindor."

"From what I heard, Slytherin always plays a little dirty," said Hermione.

"Yeah, well let them try that next year when I'm on the team," said Harry. "I've had to deal with and put up with bullies most of my life. I'm not going to let anyone bully me out on the pitch."

"You won't do anything stupid, will you?" asked Susan.

"Of course not," Harry answered with a slight grin, which all of his friends questioned.

Something had changed in Harry over the Christmas break. He was a little more confident in himself and even sociable with other students outside of his four closest friends. None of them knew the reason why, but Harry did.

It had been Hagrid's gift.

For as far back as he could remember, Harry had always thought of his parents as being dead and gone. But then he got the photo album and saw all of the pictures of his parents and their friends growing up happy and so full of life. It had made Harry realize that he had been holding back on living his life. Even after the Tonks' had taken him in, he still tried to hide back in the shadows. Which is why when he returned to Hogwarts, he became more outgoing. Even before getting back to Hogwarts and was on Platform Nine and Three Quarters, he had said that he loved Ted and Andromeda. Something he was sure surprised the both of them, because it surely surprised him. Almost as much as it had felt good to say it.

"Come on," Harry said as he put his arm around Hermione's shoulder, causing the bushy haired witch to freeze up for a moment in surprise. "Let's not worry about what might happen next year. Let's just enjoy today's game."

"Yeah," said Neville.

The five friends all sat together in the Hufflepuff section of the stands and it wasn't long after that before both teams came out. Most of the school booed when the Slytherin team members had been announced, and cheered loudly when the members of the Hufflepuff team were called out. Especially when Lee Jordan announced the new Seeker for the team, Cedric Diggory.

Harry suddenly shook his head when he thought he had seen something.

"What is it?" asked Susan.

"I don't know," said Harry. "My eyes must be playing tricks on me, because for a second there, I swear I saw Cedric sparkle in the sun light."

"Sparkle?" asked Susan and Harry nodded. "I think you need to have your glasses checked."

"I probably do," said Harry "I've had these pair for the past five years, at least."

Susan was about to ask why it had been so long when Madam Hooch blew the whistle and Hannah jumped to her feet and cheered as loud as she could when one of the Hufflepuff Chasers grabbed the Quaffle.

The match started out really good, with the 'Puff's taking a thirty to nothing lead over Slytherin. Which, of course, is when the Snakes started to play dirty. It wasn't long before Madam Hooch was constantly blowing her whistle for each foul she spotted and giving one of the Hufflepuff Chasers a free throw.

However, this was exactly what the Slytherin team had wanted. While Madam Hooch was busy chastising whichever Slytherin had done something they shouldn't have or was watching to make sure no one interfered with the free throw, one or two of the other players on the Slytherin team would sneak attack an unsuspecting Hufflepuff.

This earned huge boos and cries of outrage from the stands, but unfortunately, since Madam Hooch never saw it happen, she could do nothing about it.

The player on the Hufflepuff team that got targeted the most had been Cedric, since the Slytherin team knew that they stood a very good chance of winning if the other team didn't have a Seeker.

"That's it," Harry said as he got to his feet. "I've had enough of this."

"What are you going to do?" asked Hannah.

"Please nothing stupid," begged Hermione.

"Of course not," said Harry. "All I'm going to do is go up to Snape right now and tell him that he needs to talk to his house team and tell them to knock this crap off. I'll be polite and respectful about it."

"Yeah, like that will work," said Neville.

"Oh, I know it won't," Harry said with a smirk. "But there are a few other teachers sitting up there with him, as well as some who I believe are those of influence in the Ministry. If he refuses to do anything, it will only make him look bad."

"Why Harry, that sounds slightly devious," said Susan. "Like something a Slytherin would do."

"Well, the founders in the Sorting Hat did say I would do well in any of the houses," said Harry. "Wish me luck."

And with that, Harry turned and walked away.

OoOoOoOoOoO

John Dawlish sat alone at a small table in front of a café in the Atrium of the Ministry for Magic. On the outside, he looked calm and reserved. The perfect picture of an auror. However inside his mind, a battle raged as he futilely struggled against the Imperius curse that had been cast on him earlier that morning.

It had all started a few years ago when Mr. Bulstrode had come to him, asking a favor. He was a businessman looking to expand, but needed to know if the market was right and if there could be any problems. Dawlish didn't think there was anything wrong with his request, and when Mr. Bulstrode had given him a pouch with twenty galleons in it, who was he to complain. It wasn't cheep to live in the magical world, especially on an aurors salary.

And so, whenever Mr. Bulstrode had requested a meeting, Dawlish was more than willing to find out whatever was asked of him, as long as the gold kept coming.

It was that reason why he did not expect anything earlier that morning when Mr. Bulstrode had sent an owl and asking to meet. It was a shock though when while waiting for Mr. Bulstrode to arrive, he was hit from behind with the Imperius curse, and then to see Lucius Malfoy walk out from behind him.

"Hello Dawlish," Lucius said. "I have a very special job for you to do."

Inside him mind, Dawlish listened in fear at what was being asked of him, and try as he might to tell the man no, the curse refused to let him deny the order.

As soon as Lucius left, Dawlish went to the Ministry and sat at the café, looking to be enjoying a cup of tea as he waited for the inevitable to happen.

It was just a few minutes past noon when the gate to the lift slid open and his target stepped out along with the new Senior Undersecretary, Kingsley Shacklebolt, who had been recommended for the job by Amelia Bones.

Dawlish tried to fight himself as he set his half finished cup of tea down and stood up. He straitened out his robes, making himself look as presentable as possible before heading towards his target.

He was within ten feet of his target, smiling as he pulled his wand from within his robes. Dawlish tried to close his eyes, not wanting to see what he was about to do.

"FOR THE DARK LORD, YOU DIE!" Dawlish shouted before leveling his wand and firing the killing curse.

OoOoOoOoOoO

Augusta Longbottom stepped off of the lift along with her new Senior Undersecretary, Kingsley Shacklebolt.

At first, Augusta had been hesitant about selecting an auror to be the Senior Undersecretary. However, Amelia had promised that Kingsley had quite the head for politics, and given ten or so years, could easily run for Minister.

Still a little unsure, Augusta agreed to at least meet with the man. The two of them had lunch at the Ministry and she was quite surprised at just how well rounded he was. He knew where many of the trouble spots in the Ministry were and had very good ideas on how to fix them. Not to mention that him being a half-blood, he had some ideas on how to help muggleborns make the transition into the magical world a little easier.

By the end of that lunch meeting, Kingsley had resigned from the aurors and was hired as the Senior Undersecretary to the Minister for Magic.

"Going over the Book of Magical Birth's this morning, it looks like we're going to need at least an extra car added to the Hogwarts Express."

"Not surprising," said Augusta. "Plenty of parents felt more secure having children after You-Know-Who was defeated. Those celebration babies will be of age in time for Hogwarts this September. Go ahead and place an order for three new cars with the Department of Magical Transportation. That should cover us for the next few years as well. Better take advantage where there is a slight surplus in the budget than end up needing something and find out that we can't afford it."

"I agree," said Kingsley. "Now, in regards to the upcoming questioning of Ministry employees."

"What about it?" asked Augusta.

"Some people are saying that they will refuse to submit to the questioning," said Kingsley. "They say it violates their privacy."

"Privacy?" asked Augusta. "We are only going to be asking one question. Have they ever willingly followed You-Know-Who? No one who didn't follow him should have anything to worry about. However, if they still refuse to answer, let Amelia know to expand the holding cells. A day or two locked up should change their mind."

"That might not go over well with some people," said Kingsley.

"Honestly, I don't care," said Augusta. "When the safety of the Ministry and the witches and wizards that I serve as Minister for Magic is in danger, I will do whatever I feel is best to protect them. And if being inconvenienced by being asked a simple question under Veritaserum bothers them, they can kiss my old wrinkly ass."

"FOR THE DARK LORD, YOU DIE!" someone shouted.

Augusta looked up just in time to see a man lifting his wand towards her.

Kingsley moved as fast as he could to protect the Minister while also pulling his wand out from within his robes.

A jet of green light erupted from the end of Dawlish's wand and flew towards Augusta and Kingsley, only to strike the diving body of Eric the Security Wizard in the chest as he saved the lives of the Minister and Senior Undersecretary.

Seeing the Minister for Magic still alive, the Imperius curse told Dawlish to fire the killing curse again. However, before he could utter a single word, he had been struck down by three different spells, one of which was a cutting curse that came from a dark corner of the Atrium.

OoOoOoOoOoO

As Harry climbed the last set of stairs leading up to the seats where Snape and the rest of the Professors sat, he took a deep breath to calm his nerves down.

He had talked a big game with his friends, but now about to face the most disliked professor in Hogwarts, he felt like he had perhaps bitten off a little more than he could chew.

Harry was about to just turn around and head back to his seat when the crowd groaned and Lee Jordan called out, "And that's another foul against Slytherin. This time for one of the Beaters using their bat against one of the Hufflepuff Beaters, who I think is… Yes, Portman. Seriously bad form from the Slytherin team. But what else can you expect from a bunch of slippery bas…"

"Jordan," Professor McGonagall exclaimed.

Hearing that had not only drove away his nerves, it also gave Harry a serious determination to confront the head of Slytherin house.

"Professor Snape," Harry said as he approached the potions master. "I would like to have a word with you."

"Not now Potter," said Snape. "I am enjoying watching my house trample yours."

"That is the reason I wish to speak with you," said Harry, causing Snape to arch an eyebrow and for most of the people sitting around them to listen. "The way members of your house are performing out on the field right now is unsportsmenlike. They are blatantly cheating and attacking the opposing team, and I would like to request that you put a stop to it."

"Put a stop to it?" Snape said, a slight growl in his voice.

"They are students in your house," said Harry, "and thus, are your responsibility."

Quirrell, who was sitting a few rows back and in the corner of the box watched with curiosity as Harry confronted Snape. Voldemort was using Quirrell's eyes to watch as well. He then saw an opportune moment and seized it by using Quirrell to subtly cast a banishing spell.

"Begone," Snape said, waving his hand dismissively at the same time Quirrell cast the spell. As he did so, Harry was blasted off of his feet and started to fall towards the ground below from the top of the observation box.

OoOoOoOoOoO

**A/N:** Oh, I'm so evil for ending it there, aren't I?

Just to let everyone know, the death that I hinted at before wasn't Dawlish. His demise was more of a spur of the moment kind of decision that I made while writing this chapter. The death I mentioned to expect will be happening in the next chapter.

I hope everyone enjoyed the scene between Dumbledore and Flamel. I've always wondered just how the two of them met and became friends, so I came up with the idea that Flamel happened upon Dumbledore during the time that Dumbledore needed guidance the most. Because without it, for me it's easy to see Dumbledore drowning in his guilt and sorrow to the point where he driven only by his desire for revenge against Grindelwald.

And my apologies to everyone for the Twilight reference in regards to Cedric. I just couldn't resist throwing it in there. And please, do not take me making that reference as my endorsing that god awful book series.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen – Duplicity**

It took Harry a moment to realize what had happened after he had been knocked off of the top level of the observation box. And as he fell, two things happened. The first was that he screamed out in terror as he fell to what was surely to be his death. The second thing he did was wet his pants.

"_Not yet_," Harry heard someone whisper in his ear as though they were right next to him, though when Harry turned his head, he saw he was alone.

It was just before Harry hit the ground, a flash of fire erupted around him, filling him with a calming warmth. Then, just as quickly as it started, it ended, and Harry felt himself lying on the ground in the center of the pitch.

He stayed there for a moment, staring up at the sky, before he looked next to him and saw a bright red, yellow, and orange bird staring back at him.

"Hi," Harry said quietly, really at a loss for anything else to say.

The strange bird let out a quiet song that reassured Harry that everything would be alright before it was surrounded in a flash of fire and vanished.

"Bye," Harry said to the spot where the bird had been as a little over a dozen people came running over to him.

"HARRY!" someone shouted as he started to sit up, only to be tackled back down by reddish blond hair.

"Hi Susan," Harry grunted out.

"We were so worried," Susan said as she hugged Harry. "Hermione was watching through her binoculars and saw what happened."

"That's good," Harry said just as everyone else reached them. The fear and excitement of everything that had happened in the past minute finally got to be too much for Harry, and so he said, "I think I'm gonna pass out for a little bit now."

"What?" Susan asked just as Harry lost consciousness.

OoOoOoOoOoO

Dumbledore had to pass on attending the Hufflepuff versus Slytherin Quidditch match due to the emergency owl he had received from the Ministry in regards to the attempt on the Minister's life.

When he exited the floo in the atrium, he easily spotted the very large crowd of people trying to see what had happened.

"Headmaster Dumbledore," someone called out and Dumbledore turned to see Rita Skeeter rushing towards him. "Care to give a word on the attempted murder on the Minster's life? Is it true that an auror is the alleged wandsman?"

"My dear, I just got here and know no more than anyone else," said Dumbledore. "Now, if you'll excuse me."

Dumbledore started to walk away when Rita asked, "What about the rumors that this attempted assassination was orchestrated by Madam Bones in an attempt to take over as Minister herself?"

Dumbledore stopped in his tracks and looked back at Rita.

"It was someone under her command, after all," Rita added with a smile on her face and thinking that if no one would give her a story, she would create the story.

"You know as well as I do that that is complete rubbish," Dumbledore said as he moved closer to her. "And if you dare even try and have that fallacy printed, I will personally make sure that not even the Quibbler would want to run any of your stories. Am I understood?"

It was then that Rita Skeeter understood why Albus Dumbledore had been the only wizard He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named feared. The look in his eyes alone had her wishing she could use her animagus ability to get away, if not for the fact that it would expose her secret.

"Of-of course," Rita said. "It was a-a foolish question to ask. But I heard someone mention it, and as a proper reporter, I must follow all leads, not matter how ridiculous or insane they might be."

"Of course," Dumbledore said, his tone making it obvious that he didn't believe her. "Good day Miss Skeeter."

Dumbledore turned on his heel and walked away, trying his best not to smile. He had never really cared for Rita Skeeter. During her years as a student at Hogwarts, she had been quite the gossip queen and had no problem bending the truth or making up stories about the lives of other students. However, his real displeasure with her had come when she had written an article about his brother and a goat.

"Albus, I'm glad you're here," Amelia said as she saw him push his way past the crowd and the aurors holding people back from the crime scene.

"I came as soon as I got your owl," Dumbledore said. "What happened?"

"It would seem that one of my aurors, John Dawlish, tried to kill the Minister," said Amelia. "However, we're still at a loss for why because how it happened doesn't make sense."

"What do you mean?" asked Dumbledore.

"Just before Dawlish fired the killing curse, he screamed something about the dark lord," said Amelia.

"Something to do with the upcoming questioning?" asked Dumbledore.

"I thought the same thing at first as well," said Amelia. "However, he doesn't have the Dark Mark on him anywhere. I even had Alastor use his eye to do a thorough check, just in case. I can't say he was pleased with having to do it either. My guess he didn't like have to inspect another man's bits."

Dumbledore chuckled lightly.

"Was anyone hurt?" Dumbledore asked.

"Eric, the security wizard," said Amelia as she pointed at the sheet that was covering what was obviously a body. "He dove in front of the curse meant for Augusta."

"Brave man," Dumbledore said sadly. "There are not many who willingly give their lives for someone else."

"No, there aren't," said Amelia.

"I take it you'll be visiting his wife to inform her?" Dumbledore asked.

"Just as soon as we get this squared away," said Amelia.

"Please give her my condolences," said Dumbledore. "And also let her know that if she ever needs anything, to not hesitate to send me an owl."

"Of course," said Amelia. "I'm sure she will appreciate that. Especially coming from someone of your stature."

"It's moments like this where I think I would gladly give up my status in order to spare someone the suffering of the loss of a loved one," Dumbledore said.

OoOoOoOoOoO

"SIT DOWN!" McGonagall shouted as she shoved Snape into Dumbledore's office, surprising the potions master at not only her strength, but also the anger she was openly expressing.

"I'm telling you, I did not do anything to Potter," protested Snape as Professor Sprout walked in behind them, wand in hand. Even the usually peaceful head of Hufflepuff was seething with anger at the moment.

"Do not give us that," said Professor Sprout. "There are at least a dozen witnesses that saw you try and kill Mr. Potter, including myself."

"I swear, I did nothing," said Snape. "The brat walked up to me and told me how to run my house. All I did was tell him to leave, which was quite kind of me when I could have easily taken points away or given him detention."

"See?" said McGonagall. "You just referred to him as a 'brat'. It is statements like that, which make it impossible to believe you. Not to mention the letter Albus received last night from Mrs. Tonks about your continued behavior in class."

"What are you babbling about?" asked Snape.

"Did you honestly think that you could go back to being an arse towards your students, Harry especially, and that she would not hear about it?" asked McGonagall. "She's demanding the Headmaster sack you as soon as possible, and if he doesn't, she'll be taking the matter to the Board of Governors."

"Is that why you did it?" asked Professor Sprout. "You tried to kill him because you hold him responsible for you about to lose your job?"

"I didn't try and kill him," said Snape. "Besides, if I did want to kill him, there are easier ways without implicating myself."

"Oh, so you have been thinking of ways to kill him, have you?" Professor Sprout asked as she moved towards him.

McGonagall stepped in between the two and held Professor Sprout back.

"Pomona, perhaps it is best if you leave this to me," said McGonagall. "Harry is one of yours and your emotions are running too high right now to deal with… _Him_ properly. Go get some air to clear your head a bit and then send an owl to his family and let them know what happened."

Professor Sprout glared at Snape for a moment, fighting the urge to feed him to some of her more vicious plants, before she nodded in agreement and left the office.

"I thank you for that," said Snape as the door closed.

"Oh, shut the fuck up," snapped McGonagall. "You're lucky I don't let her do what I suspect she wants to do with you… I swear Severus, I knew you had problems with James and his friends. And Albus has told me how you transfer some of that dislike towards Harry… But to try and kill him."

"I didn't try and kill him," said Snape.

"Then how do you explain what happened?" asked McGonagall.

"I do not know," said Snape. "Perhaps he jumped in an attempt to make me look bad."

"Jumped?" McGonagall asked with a look on her face. "Do you realize how insane that sounds? Or is that your plan? Make yourself sound insane in order to avoid being sent to Azkaban for attempted murder?"

"Now who sounds insane?" asked Snape.

"Do not try to play me for a fool," said McGonagall. "I remember when you were a student all too well. You fit very well within Slytherin by being quite cunning and avoid being implicated in what happened during your seventh year… Oh yes, we all suspected you of it."

Snape thought back to his final year at Hogwarts.

It had been just a few days after the Welcoming Feast and finding out that not only had James Potter been picked as Head Boy, but he was also now dating Lily Evans. It had sickened him so much to see the two of them sitting across the Great Hall at the Gryffindor table and acting all lovey dovey to each other.

Finally, after seeing and dealing with it for a few days and allowing his anger and jealousy to fester, he decided that he had to do something. Which is why he gathered a few of the fifth year Slytherins, all of whom were already talking about joining this new dark wizard that there had been whispers about, and started to plan a way to get James.

Luck had struck when he had overheard a conversation between James and Lily. Lily wanted to put together a study schedule for the year, and so James offered to do his rounds as Head Boy alone, giving her the time she needed to do what she wanted to do.

That night, Severus and his friends waited in ambush for James up on the fourth floor, and when he came by, they stunned him. He looked down at the unconscious form of his enemy in disgust.

"Someone of your blood should know better than to sully it with a mudblood whore," said Snape. He then looked at those with him and said, "Don't kill him. I hear that the dark wizard values those of pure blood, and I doubt he would look kindly on any that ended any of the lines."

Snape then turned and walked away with a satisfied smile on his face as he listened to the others physically beat up his nemesis. The next day he had been brought before Dumbledore and asked about his involvement in what had happened to James. At first Snape thought the others had talked, but they had all remained quiet. It was James' friends, Sirius, Remus, and Peter that had found the others attacking James and said that Severus was involved as well.

However, since he had not been seen by anyone at the scene of the attack, Severus had been dismissed while the others had been expelled.

"I have no idea what you are talking about," Snape said as he looked McGonagall in the eye.

"I'm sure you don't," McGonagall said.

OoOoOoOoOoO

"Now is the time to act," Voldemort said as Quirrell sat in his room.

"Are you sure, my lord?" asked Quirrell, which earned him a jolt of pain through his body.

"Do not question me," Voldemort hissed. "Dumbledore is away for the time being, but he will be back before too long. If we use Potter as a hostage, the old woman will do anything to ensure the boys safety. Including opening the safe, which she currently has access to since Dumbledore is outside the wards. Then, once we have the stone, we will kill both Potter and McGonagall."

"What about Snape?" Quirrell asked. "He's up there as well."

"I have something very special in mind for Severus," Voldemort said.

OoOoOoOoOoO

Harry woke up in what was becoming a familiar place. The Hogwarts hospital wing.

"Not again," Harry groaned.

"Yes, again, Mr. Potter," Madam Pomfrey said as she walked over to him, her wand in one hand and a potion vial in the other. "This is the third time I have had you as my guest in the past year. Granted, the first time was not your fault, and was in fact, a necessity. However, the other time and this one could have been avoided."

"I didn't go looking for trouble with a troll," Harry said. "And this time, I was blown off of a tower. Speaking of which, how did I survive? Shouldn't I be dead?"

"You can thank the Headmaster's phoenix for that," said Madam Pomfrey as she waved her wand over Harry. "For some reason, it saved your life. Not that I am complaining about it. It's just rare for a phoenix to come to someone's aid that it isn't bonded to. Oh dear."

"What?" asked Harry, a hint of worry in his voice.

"You, um… You had a bit of an accident," Madam Pomfrey said.

"Accident?" Harry asked, and then looked down to see that his pants were still wet. "Oh… That… Yeah, I guess falling to your supposed death really will scare the piss out of you."

They both stared at each other for a moment before the two of them started laughing.

"In all seriousness Mr. Potter, I know what has happened to you isn't your fault," Madam Pomfrey said. "I just wish you would be more careful. Especially when confronting that man."

Harry gave the healer a questioning look.

"You don't know what happened on the observation tower, do you?" she asked.

"Not really," said Harry. "I just figured I lost my footing when a strong gust of wind hit me."

"Mr. Potter, that was no gust of wind," said Madam Pomfrey. "Professor Snape used magic to push you off the tower."

"He did what now?" Harry asked, a look of shock and surprise on his face.

"I am afraid so," said Madam Pomfrey.

Harry sat there in stunned silence as Madam Pomfrey continued to check him over. He couldn't believe that Snape had tried to kill him. Even though the man had an obvious dislike for him, the idea of Snape trying to kill him just didn't add up. Especially in such a public location with so many witnesses.

"Well," Madam Pomfrey said after she finished running her diagnostic spells and used a charm to clean his pants, "aside from a slightly elevated heart rate, you are perfectly fine."

"What about that potion?" Harry asked with a wary look on his face.

"Oh, this?" Madam Pomfrey said, holding up the vial in her hand. "This isn't for you. I was just restocking my cabinet while I waited for you to wake up. However, after a traumatic event such as your experienced, you might find yourself having trouble sleeping tonight. If you do, let either your head of house or one of the prefects in your house know that you need to come and see me right away, and I will give you a dreamless sleep potion for the night."

"Okay," said Harry.

Just then, the doors to the hospital wing opened, and Hermione, Neville, Susan, and Hannah rushed in.

"Oh, thank god, you're alright," Hermione exclaimed as she hugged Harry as tightly as she could. "I was watching with my binoculars and saw it happen. I was so worried."

"We all were," said Hannah.

"You should have seen it mate," said Neville. "Professor Sprout was really mad. I mean _really_ mad."

"We think she wants to feed him to one of her plants," said Hannah. "If she does, I hope we get to watch."

Everyone gave Hannah a questioning look.

"What?" she said. "How often do you get the chance to see a giant plant eat somebody? Don't you want to be able to say you were there when it happened?"

"Not really," said Hermione, who was still holding on to Harry.

"I could do without it," said Susan. "Though, that man does deserve to be punished for what he did. When my auntie hears about this, she is going to make sure that he does."

"I don't think she'll get the chance," Harry said. "As soon as Andromeda hears about this, she'll be here in a blink of an eye and rip him apart with her bare hands."

OoOoOoOoOoO

Andromeda Tonks was just sitting down with a cup of tea after having spent most of the morning and afternoon working in her garden while her husband was off doing a bit of shopping in the muggle side of London.

It was as she took her first sip of tea when the fireplace flared green and the head of Professor Sprout appeared.

"Andromeda, I'm glad you're here," Professor Sprout said.

"Pomona," Andromeda said. "I take it this isn't a social call?"

"I wish it was," said Professor Sprout. "I'm also sorry I didn't floo-call you sooner, but I needed a moment to clear my head and calm down a bit."

"Why? What happened?" asked Andromeda.

"It's Harry," Professor Sprout said. "Severus tried to kill him."

"HE WHAT?!" shouted Andromeda as she jumped to her feet, spilling her tea in the process.

"Don't worry, Harry is fine," Professor Sprout quickly said. "Thankfully, he was saved by the Headmaster's phoenix."

"I told Albus," Andromeda said. "I told him allowing that man to remain there was a bad idea. It was stupid of me to allow him to talk me into that foolish probation idea."

"You won't hear any arguments from me," said Professor Sprout. "It took all of my will power not to drag him into Greenhouse Nine."

Greenhouse Nine was were Professor Sprout kept the most dangerous and deadly plants, and students were only allowed in there if they were in their N.E.W.T. year and she accompanied them.

"You are sure Harry is alright?" Andromeda asked after she took a few calming deep breathes.

"A little shaken up, but that's all," said Professor Sprout. "I'm actually going to go and check on him as soon as we're done talking."

"Then go," said Andromeda. "I'm going to leave Ted a note and then floo over through the Three Broomsticks."

"Alright," said Professor Sprout. "And don't worry. That bastard is going to pay for this. No one messes with my Puff's and gets away with it."

OoOoOoOoOoO

As Lucius entered his home, he gave no notice to the house elf as he dropped his traveling cloak on top of its head and he made his way into his private study.

"Narcissa," Lucius called out as he sat down and pulled out a sheet of parchment.

"Yes," his wife said a moment later as she walked into the study and stood there as her husband began writing.

"We're going to have to go forward with the next plan," Lucius finally said after nearly a minute of silence.

"Things did not go well, I take it?" she asked.

"No," said Lucius. "That idiot Dawlish failed to kill the Minister when that even bigger idiot security wizard jumped in front of the curse. I was forced to kill him myself when aurors were attempting to stun him."

"No one saw you, I hope?" Narcissa asked.

"Of course not," said Lucius, giving his wife a slight glare. "But this failed attempt on her life will only drive her more towards hunting the faithful down. I'm going up to Norway to secure our family a new home. While I am gone, I want you to oversee the elves in packing everything up."

"Fine," said Narcissa. "And what about the stuff downstairs?"

Lucius knew she was referring to the vast collection of dark artifacts he had gathered over the years.

"Owl Mr. Borgin," said Lucius. "As much as it pains me to get rid of it, it would be far worse if we were found transporting such objects between countries."

"Very well," said Narcissa. "And the elves? Will they be coming with us as well?"

"No," said Lucius. "Truth be told, I am getting tired of dealing with them. Especially Dobby. We'll acquire ourselves new house elves when we move."

"You better," said Narcissa. "Because I will not be touching a single box to unpack anything after we move."

"As both a Black and a Malfoy, I wouldn't expect you to," said Lucius.

OoOoOoOoOoO

Having just been released from the Hospital Wing, Harry and his friends were heading down to the Great Hall, as it was almost dinnertime, when they were stopped by Professor Quirrell.

"P-P-Potter," Quirrell stuttered. "The Headmaster w-w-w-wishes to see you ab-b-b-bout what happened."

"Okay," Harry said, having no reason to distrust the man.

"I should come to," Hermione said. "I saw what Professor Snape did with my binoculars. Another witness to what happened couldn't hurt."

Quirrell stared a Hermione for a moment.

"She is a mudblood," Voldemort whispered inside his mind. "If the old woman refuses to open the safe, she will be the perfect one to be made an example of."

Quirrell then smiled and said, "Of c-c-course."

"Should we come as well?" asked Neville.

"No, it's alright," said Harry. "You guys go ahead down to dinner. Hopefully, it won't take too long. And if it does, save me a bit of treacle tart."

"Alright," said Hannah, and the three of them continued on their way to the Great Hall while Quirrell led Harry and Hermione towards Dumbledore's office.

As they made their way closer to the entrance, Harry started to feel very nervous as the realization of that he was about to be in the same room with the man that he believed had tried to kill him earlier that day.

"It'll be alright," Hermione said, taking Harry's hand in hers and giving it a gentle squeeze.

"Of course it will P-P-Potter," said Quirrell. "There are aurors t-t-there after all."

Harry relaxed slightly, though he couldn't shake the feeling that he had.

Just as they rounded the corner to the hallway where the entrance to Dumbledore's office was, they ran into Professor Sprout.

"Professor Quirrell," Professor Sprout said. "What are you doing here? And why are Mr. Potter and Miss Granger here."

"The Headmaster wants to see them about what happened," Quirrell quickly said, both him and Voldemort annoyed by this short delay.

"Albus is back?" Professor Sprout said. "I didn't know he was. Minerva said he would be a while before he could return after some incident at the Ministry, and that he would be bringing aurors with him."

"Well, I guess he returned faster than expected, so if you don't mind…" said Quirrell.

"Of course," said Professor Sprout. "Wait a minute… What happened to your stutter?"

Quirrell winced slightly. In his annoyance and rush to get to the office, he had forgotten his act as the frightened teacher.

"You have no idea how much I wish you hadn't noticed that," Quirrell said as he quickly pulled out his wand and pointed it at the witch.

OoOoOoOoOoO

McGonagall and Snape were sitting in silence in Dumbledore's office, as neither of them had anything to say. McGonagall was tired of listening to Snape claim his innocence while Snape was tired of trying to convince someone who obviously refused to believe him.

"Oh, where is that man?" McGonagall asked out loud. She then grabbed a sheet of parchment and wrote a note on it before starting to head towards Fawkes.

"Would you be a dear and take…" she started to say when the slightly sickly looking phoenix burst into flames and its ashes falling into the basin under his perch, where a small newly born Fawkes emerged. "Obviously not… Of all the times to have a burning day. I guess I will just have to wait till Pomona returns and send this to Albus by owl."

"You could just go yourself," said Snape.

"And leave you alone?" asked McGonagall. "How foolish do you think I am?"

"Considering you still believe that I tried to kill Potter?" asked Snape. "Very."

"Yes, yes," said McGonagall. "You keep claiming innocence. But we'll just see what you have to say under Veritaserum."

"I will say the same exact thing," said Snape.

Just then the door opened and a worried looking Harry and Hermione walked in.

"Mr. Potter? Miss Granger?" asked McGonagall. "What are you doing up here?"

"I invited them," said Quirrell as he entered the office, wand in hand.

"Quirinus?" asked McGonagall. "What are you doing? And why are you pointing your wand at them?"

"He attacked Professor Sprout," Hermione blurted out as tears started to roll down her cheek.

"What?" McGonagall asked, the shock evident in her voice. However, before she could say or do anything else, Quirrell grabbed Hermione by her robes, pulling her close and pressing the tip of his wand against the side of her head.

"Now, now," said Quirrell. "There will be time for explanations later. However, in the meantime, please be so kind as to slowly pull out your wands and toss them to me."

"Quirinus, I don't know what you think you are doing…" McGonagall started to say.

"I am asking for you wands," Quirrell said as he pressed his own harder against Hermione, causing her to wince. "Now do as I say, or her filthy blood will be splattered on the wall."

McGonagall reached into her robe and started to pull out her wand.

"Ah, ah," said Quirrell. "Slowly… No tricks now."

Slowly, McGonagall removed her wand and tossed it across the office so it landed at Quirrell's feet.

"You too Severus," said Quirrell.

"I wish I could, but she took my wand from me," said Snape as he gestured to his wand sitting on the desk.

"Very well," said Quirrell. "Minerva, that wand as well."

McGonagall scowled at Quirrell as she picked up Snape's wand and tossed it over as well.

"Potter, pick up the wands and place them in my pocket along with yours and Granger's," ordered Quirrell.

Hesitantly, Harry reached down and picked up the wands, which he then placed into the pocket of Quirrell's robes where the man had placed his and Hermione's wands after taking them when he had attacked Professor Sprout. And for a moment, he was tempted to retrieve his own and use it.

"I wouldn't do that," said Quirrell. "I could easily kill her before you even managed to point your wand at me."

Harry stared into the cold eyes of the man holding a wand to one of his best friend's head for a moment before he lets the wands go and took a step back.

"Smart move," said Quirrell, who then looked at Snape and added, "See Severus, he isn't the idiot child you proclaim him to be."

Snape just scowled at the man.

"Quirinus, why are you doing this?" asked McGonagall, trying to get his attention on her and hopefully make him forget about the children.

"The stone," said Quirrell. "I need it."

"The stone?" asked McGonagall.

"The Philosopher's Stone," said Quirrell. "The one that was made by Nicolas Flamel. He gave it to Dumbledore for safe keeping."

"Well, then I am afraid you will have to wait until Albus gets back in order to get it," said McGonagall. "Because you know as well as I do that he placed it in his personal vault, and only he can access it."

"Unless the Headmaster is off grounds," said Quirrell. "At which time, access to the vault is transferred over to the Deputy Headmistress… Which is you."

McGonagall paled slightly. She of course knew about that, but had hopped that Quirrell didn't.

"Now, bring me the stone or I will kill her," said Quirrell. "Then, I will kill Potter… However, his death will not be so quick. I will force you to watch as I torture him. I believe a filleting charm on his skin, stripping it away piece by piece as we listen to him scream and beg for mercy."

"Enough," said McGonagall. "I'll get you the stone, just don't hurt them… Please?"

"Then I suggest you get moving," said Quirrell.

McGonagall gave a last look at both Harry and Hermione before she walked over to one of the many bookcases in the office and ran her hand across the titles. Finding the one she was looking for, she pulled on the book, which caused the entire case to sink into the floor, revealing a large steel door.

"Good," said Quirrell. "Now… Open it."

"I will need a minute," said McGonagall.

"No delays," said Quirrell with a slight edge to his voice. "Open it now."

"This is not a normal vault door," McGonagall said as she turned and looked at Quirrell. "This was designed by Rowena Ravenclaw, and thus it is a multi-part rune based riddle that must be solved in order to open it."

"So?" asked Quirrell. "Solve it and open it."

"It will take me a little time," said McGonagall. "The riddle changes daily, and as far as I know, no one riddle has been asked twice since it was built."

Quirrell stared at McGonagall for a moment before he growled.

"Fine," he said. "Just do it and be as quick as you can."

"I would be able to work a little easier if I wasn't distracted by you holding your wand to Miss Granger's head," said McGonagall.

Quirrell roared with rage and fired a spell from his wand, which he had pointed at an empty chair, destroying it and turning it to splinters. He then stood there, breathing heavily.

"Very well," he finally said and shoved Hermione over towards Harry. "You two, sit in the corner."

Harry and Hermione quickly rushed over to the corner and sat down with Harry sitting a bit in front of Hermione so he could try and shield her if Quirrell attempted anything.

Quirrell gave a questioning look at McGonagall, who sighed in defeat as she turned to the vault door and began to decipher the runes.

"You surprise me Quirrell," said Snape, his voice sounding calm. "I never would have thought it in you to try something so… Gryffindor."

The name of his old rival house was said as though it was coated with the foulest substance in the world, eaten, and then regurgitated before leaving his own mouth.

"Tell me, where is the old Slytherin side of you?" Snape asked.

"You think that this was a brash and sudden decision on my part?" asked Quirrell. "Severus, I have been planning on stealing the stone since before the year started back in September."

"Then I take it that it was you that attempted to break into the vault at Gringotts?" asked Snape.

"Attempt, nothing," said Quirrell. "I did break into the vault, despite what the goblins reported to everyone. Unfortunately, I was a few hours late, as that half breed freak collected the stone… I should have known when I saw him in the Leaky Cauldron earlier that day, but we felt it best if I waited till the end of the day to make my move."

"We?" asked Snape

"Why, me and my master, of course," answered Quirrell.

"Your master?" asked Snape. "Ahhhh…. So that is what happened during your travels last year. You met a powerful dark wizard and vowed to serve him."

"Something you are quite familiar with," said Quirrell. "More than you probably realize."

"I know my past well enough, thank you," said Snape.

"Indeed," said Quirrell, who then glanced at Harry for a second. "But does Potter know?"

Quirrell then turned to Harry and said, "Do you know about what Severus did? How he is responsible for that one life altering moment of your childhood?"

"What are you talking about?" asked Harry.

"Nothing," Snape quickly said. "The man is obviously disturbed."

"Severus used to serve the most feared dark wizard the world had ever known," said Quirrell, ignoring Snape's comment. "He served him most faithfully for years. And then one night, he brought his master news most grave. He had overheard a prophecy being made about a child that would be born that would have the power to destroy his master. He was rewarded for his faithful servitude by being brought into his master's inner circle, a group of his most trusted followers. But then came the night that he found out who that child was… Or more importantly, who the mudblood whore of a mother was."

Snape's eye twitched slightly as Quirrell turned and looked at him.

"When he found out that his master had no intention of sparing her life, he betrayed his master," said Quirrell. "Oh yes, Severus… He knew you were outside his chambers that night, listening to his conversation with Bellatrix. It was a test, to see if you truly believed in his goals or if you were just trying to latch onto his power. If you had passed, you would have held a place by his side in his new world. But instead, you failed… You ran to Dumbledore and begged for his help."

"You can't possibly know any of that," said Snape.

"Oh, but I do," said Quirrell. "Because your former master is my new master."

"Impossible," spat Snape as he rose to his feet. "The Dark Lord is dead and gone."

"Do you think so little of my powers Severus?" a voice asked from nowhere. A voice that made Snape's normally pale face grow ever paler as he recognized it.

"It cannot be," whispered Snape as he looked around the office.

"Still you doubt me?" the voice asked. "Perhaps if you could see, you will believe."

"Master?" asked Quirrell.

"Allow me to talk to him," said Voldemort.

"But master, you are still weak," said Quirrell. "It has been days since we last fed from the unicorns."

"You're the monster that has been killing them?" asked a surprised McGonagall, who had stopped working on the vault door to listen to Quirrell's tale.

"I had too," said Quirrell. "In order for my master to live long enough for me to get the stone."

"Enough talking Quirrell," said Voldemort. "Let them see me."

Slowly, Quirrell reached up and unwrapped his turban. The other four held their breath as slowly, the turban was discarded on the floor, revealing Quirrell's bald head. However, it was Hermione who was the first to gasp in shock when she noticed the face extend itself from the back of his head before he turned around.

The face looked around the office with blood red eyes that seemed to be devoid of all emotion.

"My lord," Snape said as he quickly dropped to his knee and bowed his head.

"Yes," said Voldemort. "You see now what I have become… A shadow of my former self, forced to share another like a common parasite. Yet my power remains as strong as it was the night my body was destroyed."

Voldemort's face then turned and looked at Harry, who was now filled with the dread feeling of knowing that he would not be leaving that office alive.

"My lord, I beg your forgiveness," said Snape. "I was young and foolish to turn against you. I stupidly allowed my feelings for the mudblood to fog my mind."

"Love?" asked Voldemort, turning his gaze back to Snape. "The most pathetic of emotions… You allowed love to blind you and make you weak… Yet I am not a cruel man. I can forgive… Rise, Severus."

Slowly, Snape stood up, yet refused to look Voldemort in the face.

"Look at me," Voldemort said, almost sounding kind.

While keeping his head bowed, Snape raised his eyes and looked at the face of his master.

"Do you swear your life to me once again?" asked Voldemort.

"I do," said Snape.

"Will you do anything that your master commands?" Voldemort asked.

"All you have to do is ask and I will obey," said Snape.

Voldemort smiled as he turned away, allowing Quirrell to face Snape.

"Then I command you to die," said Voldemort as though he were asking nothing more than for someone to pass the salt.

Quirrell then raised his wand and silently cast a spell that blasted Snape off his feet and out through the window behind him.

Hermione cried out as Harry turned her away from the sight while he glared at the man before him. While he may not have cared for Snape at all, it didn't mean that he would have wished the man dead. It was at that moment that Harry also recognized that spell. It was the same one that he had been hit with earlier that day when he had been blasted off the observation tower. He mentally cursed himself for not realizing it earlier when Quirrell had attacked Professor Sprout in front of him and Hermione. He had been on that observation tower as well.

"You monster," McGonagall shouted.

"Monster?" Voldemort said, turning to look at McGonagall. "No… I am a visionary. A leader. And he betrayed me and the oath he once took… For that, he was punished."

"You're not a visionary," said McGonagall. "You're nothing but a delusional mad man."

Voldemort's red eyes darkened as Quirrell pointed his wand towards the two children.

"Crucio," he called out, causing Harry to cry out in agony as he writhed around in pain, feeling as though a thousand and one burning needles were poking each and every nerve in his body.

"Stop it," Hermione said as tears rolled down her cheeks and she tried to hold Harry.

Quirrell released the spell as Voldemort continued to look at McGonagall.

"Enough wasting time," the dark wizard said. "Open the vault or the next spell will end one of their lives."

Trying to contain her rage and the urge to physically beat… Whatever that man was, McGonagall turned back to the vault door and continued to work on the riddle combination.

OoOoOoOoOoO

Hagrid stood back as he admired his new home. And while it wasn't the same as his old one, the one that he had lived since after being wrongfully expelled during his third year, it was a good home. Plus, the professors had made a few improvements to it as well. While it looked small on the outside, it was charmed to be expanded on the inside, meaning that Hagrid no longer had to eat, sleep, and go to the bathroom all in one room. He had a small kitchen area full of pots and pans big enough to make meals his size in if he so desired. Though, he doubted he would use them much, because he preferred to eat in the Great Hall with everyone else. The only time he could see himself using them was during the summer when all of the students and most of the teachers were gone.

He also had a nice sized bedroom with a large bed, which pleased the half-giant, as his old bed had been a bit on the small side and he usually slept with his feet hanging over the edge. Fang also had a large and comfy looking doggy bed right next to Hagrid's. As for the bathroom, Hagrid had been quite surprised when he noticed that he had a bath almost like the one that in the Prefect's bathroom, though without all the spouts that poured out perfumed soaps and liquids since that really wasn't his style.

However, the biggest of all the improvements was actually quite big. Professor Flitwick had built a large covered area in the back for Fluffy, which pleased Hagrid greatly, since after being removed from the third floor, the three headed dog had been spending all of its time roaming around the Forbidden Forest.

"Well, come along Fang," said Hagrid as he shouldered his crossbow. "Le's go and get Fluffy and show 'im 'is new home."

Fang let out a booming bark as he followed his master into the forest, neither of them noticing the body that had just fallen out of the window of the Headmaster's office.

OoOoOoOoOoO

At the Ministry of Magic, they were finally clearing away the crime scene while Dumbledore, Amelia, and Augusta were sitting in the Minister's office.

"I don't like this," said Amelia. "An attempt on the Minister's life, by one of my own people. And to boot, we have no idea who fired the curse that killed him."

"If I may be so inclined to hypothesize," said Dumbledore. "Whomever killed Mr. Dawlish may be behind the assassination attempt."

"Then why kill the assassin?" asked Augusta.

"To cover his or her tracks," said Dumbledore. "My guess is that whoever was behind it wanted to be around to witness the event and ensure that the job was done. When they saw that Mr. Dawlish was about to be stunned and taken into custody, they may have panicked and killed him themselves. Which then leads me to wonder why kill him? If he was hired, the chances of him talking were slim unless questioned under Veritaserum."

"The Imperius curse?" asked Amelia, and Dumbledore nodded his head in agreement.

"Which leads me to believe that whomever is responsible for this is afraid of the upcoming questioning," said Dumbledore.

"That's a long list of suspects," said Augusta. "We're planning on questioning every single employee of the Ministry."

"Not to mention the supposed 'former' Death Eaters that visit on a regular basis," added Amelia.

"This may be a puzzle that will take us time to solve," said Dumbledore.

OoOoOoOoOoO

Quirrell stood nearby McGonagall and watched her as she moved her hands across a series of runes while the face of Voldemort watched Harry and Hermione.

"There," McGonagall said. "It's done."

Quirrell shoved McGonagall aside as the vault clicked a few times before the large door started to swing open. His eyes were wide with wonder at the vast items inside the vault as he walked in while Voldemort's eyes shined with greed at the vast amount of rare tomes and scrolls, some of which had not been seen since the time of the founders.

"There it is," Voldemort said, as Quirrell turned around to see the plain looking red stone sitting atop of purple velvet pillow.

"It looks so… normal," said Quirrell as he reached out and picked up the stone.

"A deception," said Quirrell. "I can feel the true power of the stone radiating from within."

McGonagall, who was outside the vault, noticed that Quirrell and whatever was sticking out of his head was distracted, decided to make a move to get her wand, as she could see the tip of the handle sticking out his pocket.

Both Harry and Hermione watched as their Transfiguration professor slowly started moving towards Quirrell in order to get her wand.

"_The cloak_," a voice whispered.

"What?" asked Harry.

"I didn't say anything," said Hermione, hoping that their teacher wouldn't get hurt as she continued to watch.

Harry suddenly felt something warming him from inside his pocket, and it was then that he remembered that he had his invisibility cloak on him. The idea came to him out of nowhere as he pulled out the cloak and covered himself and Hermione with it.

"What are you doing?" asked Hermione, and Harry covered his hand over her mouth.

"Shhh," he said. "If we stay quiet, he might think we're gone."

Hermione stared at Harry for a moment before she nodded in agreement, and the two of them watched McGonagall as she inched closer to her target. Slowly, she reached her hand towards her wand, just inches away from it when Quirrell had finally noticed her and turned as he smacked her across the face hard enough for her to fall to the floor.

McGonagall laid on the floor, holding her cheek as she looked up at Quirrell as he stepped out of the vault.

"Nice try," said Quirrell. "I commend you for your attempt. However, today is not the day when the light side wins… Cruci..."

"DEPULSO!"

Quirrell was blasted off his feet and flew back against the wall.

Harry and Hermione turned towards the door of the office and noticed a battered and bruised Professor Sprout looking quite angry and her wand held firmly in hand.

"Next time you use a bludgeoning curse, make sure that person isn't used to dealing with violent plants," said Professor Sprout.

"A grand idea," said Voldemort. "Quirrell… The children. Kill them."

"Yes master," said Quirrell, who then turned towards where Harry and Hermione were hiding under the invisibility cloak, a look of surprise on his face.

"What are you waiting for?" asked Voldemort as Quirrell was forced to take cover behind Dumbledore's desk. "Kill them now."

"I can't master," said Quirrell. "They're gone."

"WHAT?!" shouted Voldemort.

Neither of them noticed McGonagall, who had had noticed that the wands in Quirrell's pocket had fallen out, grabbing hers and adding her spell fire to Professor Sprout's.

Harry and Hermione held each other tightly as Quirrell started to return his spells towards the two witches. The paintings of the former Headmasters and Headmistresses left their portraits as spells started to impact against them. A bunch of Dumbledore's various silver and glass objects melted and broke along with Dumbledore's telescope. The windows shattered as the spells flew through them, making it look like a fireworks display coming out of the Headmasters office and drawing the attention of quite a few students and teachers.

Quirrell was in a rage as he continued to cast spells from behind the desk that was slowly turning to splinters. He knew that his bludgeoning curse should have killed Professor Sprout. He had once blown the arm off of a giant with that spell after he had joined with his master. But now, it seemed as if his magic was weaker, as though he was only casting at half the strength he used to. Little did he know that that was one of the side effects of him having drunk the blood of a unicorn.

Voldemort could sense that the fight was not going in his favor and decided that it was best to retreat.

"Quirrell, give me control of your body," said Voldemort.

"But master, you aren't strong enough," said Quirrell.

"I have enough strength left for one more move," said Voldemort.

Voldemort could feel Quirrell relinquish total control of his body and Voldemort dove deeper into him, causing Quirrell's eyes to turn red. Hen then focused his power on a spell he had learned from a wizard in South America, whom he then killed after mastering the spell, and turned his body into a cloud of black smoke.

Professor Sprout and McGonagall were surprised when they saw the giant black cloud of smoke rise up from behind what remained of Dumbledore's desk before it burst out what remained of the window behind it.

The two women rushed over to the window and watched as the black cloud rushed towards the edge of the Forbidden Forest.

The black cloud of smoke reformed and solidified back into Quirrell's body. Voldemort looked up through his puppets eyes at the two witches, vowing that he would make their deaths slow and painful the next time they met before he turned and walked into the Forbidden Forest, knowing that it was the shortest route to the edge of the wards from where he stood.

As he made his way through the Forbidden Forest, Voldemort couldn't help but let his mind wander as he started to make plans for his return. First, he would find a nice, beautiful female muggle to torture and kill, leaving her mutilated body somewhere public with his mark carved into her skin. Then he would gather his followers and find out which ones remained faithful and which ones turned against him, and the ones that turned against him would suffer greatly. He just hoped that his dear Bellatrix remained faithful, as she was one of his favorites with the way she could create chaos and panic.

Unfortunately for Voldemort, while he was busy thinking of the far future, he wasn't paying much attention to the immediate future, nor the giant three headed dog that was following him until it was too late.

For a brief moment, Voldemort felt pain unlike anything he had felt since the night his body was destroyed as one of the heads bit down on his arm.

Quirrell screamed out in pain as Voldemort vacated his body in a vaporous cloud, watching as the three heads fought over his servants body, and then roared out in rage as he watched one of the dogs crush the Philosopher's Stone between its teeth before he flew away along with the wind.

OoOoOoOoOoO

**A/N:** Wow, it's been a while since I updated this story. Sorry it's taken so long, but things have been insane in my life since I posted the last chapter. Crazy holidays. A nasty breakup. Losing one job and starting a new one. Came down with a nasty case of the flu, but that led to me finally checking out Game of Thrones, which is seriously an awesome show. If you haven't seen it yet, you really should. It's been a while, and I am still in shock at the Red Wedding. Anyways, it's just been nuttiness all around. I actually had most of this chapter written back in early December, but never got the chance to finish it or proof read it and touch it up. Finally this past weekend, I did get the opportunity to do so. So here it is. I hope you all like it, and that it isn't a huge disappointment after waiting so long.

Also, I'm not sure when I will get the chance to post the next chapter. Part of it is already written, however I am currently in the process of buying my first house, so a good portion of my free time is spent on that endeavor. I will do my best to work on it when I can, and I hope that it isn't nearly another nine months before I get to post it. I really do want to finish this story because I have a whole bunch of surprises in store for all of you.

Lastly, I would like to thank all of the new people who have found my little tale. It seriously surprises me just how popular this story has become, where even after so long since the last update, I am still getting at least five new followers each week. So thank you to all of you, new followers and old, for taking an interest in my story.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen – Scars**

Ted and Andromeda Tonks stood in the hospital wing at Hogwarts as they watched Harry sleep peacefully thanks to the dreamless sleep potion that Madam Pomfrey had given him. On the bed next to Harry, Hermione was sleeping under the effects of the same potion, while a few more beds down, Professor Sprout sat restlessly, wanting noting more than to go about her business.

"Please, I've suffered much worse from some of my plants," the head of Hufflepuff grumbled when the resident healer had forced her into one of the beds. "It'll take more than a couple of bludgeoning spells to do me in."

However, that had been hours ago. Since then, she had tried to sneak out of the hospital wing three times before Madam Pomfrey had had enough and secured her to the bed with a sticking spell.

"It's not fair, is it?" Andromeda asked. "He's grown up having such a difficult life… Things were just getting better for him, and now this happens."

"I'm sure he'll be fine," Ted said, and he gave her a quick kiss on the top of her head. "Harry… He's a tough one. He survived years with those monsters, not to mention two encounters with You-Know-Who. He'll get through this. And we'll help him when he needs it."

"I still can't believe he really is still out there," Andromeda said as she turned and walked over to a chair to sit down in with her husband following her. "I know Albus told us he believed that he was still out there when we took Harry in, but… Well, you know how eccentric Albus can be at times. I just thought it was him preparing for the worst because he's dealt with two different dark wizards in his time. But to find out the he really is out there."

"You aren't having second thoughts about letting Harry into our lives, are you?" Ted asked with a questioning look at his wife.

"What?" Andromeda asked, very surprised that he would suspect her of thinking such a thing. However, thinking back to how she had just said what she did, she could understand it. "Of course not. I would still take Harry in if he had shown up on our doorstep with the devil literally nipping at his heals. But you have to admit, that it does change things."

"That it does," said Ted. "And if I were to guess right, I'm sure that You-Know-Who will hold an even bigger grudge against Harry since he tricked him into thinking he had escaped."

Andromeda chuckled at the thought of what had happened. After Quirrellmort, as Professor Sprout had taken to calling the possessed professor, had escaped only to be eaten by a three headed dog, she and Professor McGonagall were worried beyond belief over Harry's sudden disappearance, only to be even more shocked when Harry and Hermione suddenly reappeared when he removed the invisibility cloak. She wasn't sure how he had managed to sneak that cloak to school since she had checked his trunk before returning from the Christmas holidays, but she did have her suspicions. And if she was right, she would very much need to thank her daughter for it, because if she hadn't…

A shiver ran down Andromeda's spine as she thought of what could have happened to the two first years had he not had the cloak on him.

Madam Pomfrey came out of her office and walked over to Harry, where she then proceeded to wave her wand over him and check his vitals.

"How is he?" Andromeda asked.

"Physically, he's fine," Madam Pomfrey said. "Emotionally and psychologically… I honestly cannot say. The both of them went through a very traumatic experience. First seeing one of their teachers and head of house attacked. Then another teacher killed."

The healer indicated to the farthest bed in the hospital wing, where the body of Severus Snape lay under a sheet and surrounded by a stasis charm to preserve the body.

"Held hostage and their lives threatened," Madam Pomfrey continued. "Then the duel between him and Professors Sprout and McGonagall."

"Bastard will think twice before messing with me or any of my 'Puff's again," they heard Professor Sprout mumble from her bed.

"Like I said, it was emotionally and psychologically taxing on them," Madam Pomfrey said.

OoOoOoOoOoO

Albus Dumbledore stood in the remains of his office, surveying the damage that had been done during the duel between the possessed Quirrell and two members of his staff.

All of the windows had shattered and broken. Books had been blasted off the shelves, some of them damaged beyond repair, even with the aid of magic. The telescope he had spent nearly two years designing and putting together was broken and partially melted. Not to mention the various little trinkets he had collected in his hundred plus years of living being destroyed. It would take one of the Hogwarts house elves the better part of an hour to clean everything up.

Yet all the destruction of his office paled in comparison to the biggest tragedy. He had failed to keep Harry safe.

For the better part of the school year, the spirit of Voldemort had been residing within the very halls of his beloved school. Every week, Harry had been in the same room with the man who had murdered his parents and attempted to kill him as a baby. Every day he saw the man while he had been possessed, and not once did he detect that anything was amiss.

Then there was the death of Severus. It saddened the aged wizard when Minerva had informed him of what had taken place and how Snape had been willing to rejoin his former master. His betrayal brought into light some of his suspect actions during his time as a Hogwarts professor, such as his strict demand that all N.E.W.T. level students received an Outstanding on their O.W.L.'s in potions in order to take his class. That prerequisite limited the number of students able to take the class and diminished the number of those able to go onto careers as healers or aurors. It made him wonder if perhaps that had been his goal the entire time, and that his desire for redemption had been a ruse conceived by Voldemort back during the war. Granted, he had shown desire for the position of the Defense Against the Dark Arts job year after year, and yet remained teaching potions with each rejection. Snape was under no obligation to remain at Hogwarts and could have easily acquired the job he wanted at a school such as Durmstrang.

It was all too much for the Headmaster to take in at the moment and decided to push it aside for the time being.

"Knut for your thoughts?"

Dumbledore turned and saw Professor McGonagall standing near the door to his office, the only thing to go unscathed from the conflict, as even the majority of the portraits of former headmasters and headmistresses had been damaged and would take a master in wizarding portrait restoration to fix.

"I was just thinking how Voldemort could have been here without me knowing it," Dumbledore said. "In all of the conversations that I had with Quirrell did I ever get the inkling that he was possessed by him."

"You cannot blame yourself for that," Professor McGonagall said. "He fooled all of us, what with him acting nearly frightened all the time. It caused all of us to lower our guards around him."

"Exactly my point," Dumbledore said. "For years I had been saying that I do not believe Voldemort to truly be gone. For years I had been watching for any sign of activity from him. I was so focused on the outside, I never bothered to look for any threats from within."

"This is more about Severus, isn't it?" Professor McGonagall asked.

Dumbledore sighed as he pulled off his half-moon spectacles and rubbed the bridge of his crooked nose before putting them back on.

"Have I ever told you about my childhood?" Dumbledore asked.

Professor McGonagall was a little surprised by this sudden change in topic.

"Not to my recollection, no," she answered.

"My father didn't care much for muggles," Dumbledore said as he stared off into nothing. "When I was ten, my sister Ariana was six. She was outside playing when she had her first moment of accidental magic. A group of muggle boys saw her do this. They made fun of her, calling her a freak and a witch and that our mother had lain with the devil. When she tried to run, they attacked her. She was never the same after that. When my father found out, he went after the boys and ended up in Azkaban for using all three of the unforgivables on them. I saw it all happen… The first he used the Imperius curse on and made him slit his own throat while his friends watched in horror. The second he used the cruciatus curse, torturing him until his body seized so hard, his spine snapped. The last boy, he just stared at him for what felt like hours before he used the killing curse, ending him life instantly… I had grown up in a magical home, but that was the first time that I truly saw how powerful magic could be. That with a simple flick, a life could be saved or ended. The Greeks had tales of demigods that walked the Earth. The bastard children of the gods of Olympus… And while those gods did not exist, little did they know that those with what can be considered the powers of a god walked amongst them.

"When I started coming to Hogwarts and learned to control my magic, I vowed that I would make changes in the world. Both muggle and magical were too reckless to be allowed to thrive unchecked. Both sides needed order to the chaos they caused. I was going to be the one to do it. And yes, you could say that my ambitions were the same as any dark witch or wizard that had come before me, and I will now agree with you on that… But back then, I didn't see it that way. I thought what I wanted to do was for the right reasons and that all would see that and agree with me. And then in my seventh year, I met Gellert."

Professor McGonagall gasped at this.

"You mean, you knew Grindelwald before…" she started to ask.

"Before he tried to rule the world?" Dumbledore finished for her. "I did… When we first met, we had the same goals in mind. It allowed for us to form a quick friendship. During all of our free time, we would sit and plan how we would do it. How we would capture control of the Ministry and start our change here. And then from there, how we would spread our message and new order around the world."

"Something happened to change all that," Professor McGonagall said after Dumbledore went silent for nearly a minute. "The man you are today is nothing like the child you are describing."

"The loss of innocence happened," Dumbledore said. "Not long after we finished our final year at Hogwarts, Gellert started to change. He was abandoning anything light and wanting to only use dark methods in his plans. Eventually, it got to be too much for me, and it led to us having an argument one night. Our raised voices started to frighten my sister, and so Aberforth got involved. From there, it just escalated until our wands were drawn and spells were fired. To this day, I still do not know whose spell did it, but one of them struck Ariana and killed her. Aberforth and I tried to bring her back while Gellert ran away, but it was of no use… A few days later at her funeral, Aberforth and I got into another argument. He blamed me for her death, and rightfully so. It was the choices I made that led to that moment. My desire to fix what I saw as a broken world. My friendship with Gellert Grindelwald… That's when he punched me and broke my nose. I could have easily fixed it, but I didn't want to. It was a reminder for me of my sins that I see every time I look in the mirror.

"Anyways, after that day, I vowed to change my ways and not only be a follower of the light, but also to really try and change the world for the better. Not by forcing people to believe what I believe, but by showing them of what could be and letting them make the decision of right or wrong. It is the reason when I became Headmaster, I hired Hagrid not long after he had been expelled. It is the reason why I made arrangements to allow Remus Lupin to attend school here. It is the reason I have stretched myself so thin over the years as being Headmaster for this school, the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, and the Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards… And it is why Severus' betrayal wounds me the most of what happened recently. Even after the things he had done while following Voldemort, I wanted to believe that he seeked redemption just as I once had."

Professor McGonagall didn't know what to say after hearing all of that. She had known the man going back to when she first came to Hogwarts as a student during her first year, which was also his first year as a teacher. Never once in all that time, did he ever give even the slightest hint that he had a past where he had been slipping towards the dark. But as she thought about it, it made some sense. He had slowly slipped into the dark arts and crawled his way out of it when it cost him something dearly. It was why he spent so much time fighting against those that willfully practiced the dark arts. It had also explained his famous duel with Grindelwald.

It had been a battle of the ages between them. A duel that books today were still writing about.

At some point during the second world war, Grindelwald had joined the muggle named Hitler and was placed in charge of a special branch of the S.S., which had been tasked with finding magical ways to win the war. As the war came to an end, and word of some of the atrocities Grindelwald committed, Dumbledore could no longer sit back and let someone else deal with the problem she now believed he felt responsible for causing.

They met in the streets of Berlin one night. Face to face for the first time since the night Dumbledore's sister had been killed. No words were needed, nor spoken between the old former friends. Their wands were a blur of motion as they cast spell after spell at each other. The night sky lit up around them, and in the distance, the allied and axis forces could be heard fighting their own war.

In the end, Dumbledore had managed to disarm Grindelwald and stood over him with his wand pointed right at his head. One simple spell is all it would take to end the man once and for all. And yet, Dumbledore could not do it. Not because he had once been very close with the man, but because he refused to slip back into the darkness that once gripped him so tightly as a youth.

"I think it is time for me to retire," Dumbledore said.

"I understand," Professor McGonagall responded. "It is quite late."

"No," said Dumbledore. "I mean from my position as Headmaster."

"What?" asked the surprised and shocked woman. "Why?"

"I just feel that it is time," Dumbledore said. "I've been Headmaster of this school for nearly fifty years, and a professor for closer to eighty years. And with all of my responsibilities, I find myself stretched too thin, like too little butter scraped over too much bread. One of my duties must be given up, and Hogwarts is the only one that I know I can leave in safe and proper hands."

"So that's it?" asked Professor McGonagall. "You're just going to up and leave?"

"Of course not," Dumbledore said. "I will finish out this year and announce my leaving at the end of year feast… Though, I dare say, I would not be surprised that if by lunch tomorrow, the entire school doesn't know of my plans, as it is near impossible to keep a secret like this in these halls."

Just then, one of the school house elves popped into the remains of the office and let out a surprised gasp at the mess.

"Twiggle," Dumbledore said.

"Headmaster, you make a mess of your office," Twiggle said as he looked around.

Dumbledore glanced at Professor McGonagall.

"I hadn't had the time to inform the house elves yet," she said, and then turned to the magical being. "It's partially my fault."

"Twiggle can have it cleaned," Twiggle said. "But first, Headmaster has a visitor waiting at the front gate."

"Who could be trying to visit at this time of night?" Professor McGonagall asked.

OoOoOoOoOoO

Ten minutes later, Narcissa Malfoy was being led up towards the castle by another house elf, which she occasionally glared. She was feeling very annoyed that Dumbledore had sent such a creature to escort her. Didn't he know who she was? She was the Matron of the Malfoy family and daughter of the House of Black.

"Mrs. Malfoy," Dumbledore said as he met her in the entrance hall. "What brings you here at this time of night?"

"My son," she said curtly.

"I was not informed something was wrong with young Mr. Malfoy," Dumbledore said. "However, today has been a very busy day for me, what with the events at the Ministry."

"That is exactly the reason I am here," she said. "My husband and I feel that this country is no longer safe when someone attempts to murder the Minister in front of everyone in the Ministry and makes claims about some dark lord."

"I see," Dumbledore said as he subtly tried to probe her mind using Legilimency, only to find that she had her mental shields up. "Well, I believe that this was only an isolated event, and not the sign of something bigger working in the shadows. I do not think there is any reason to pull Draco from…"

"Save your words," Narcissa said. "My husband and I have made up our minds on this. Our home is mostly packed and arrangements have already been made for Draco to attend school at Durmstrang."

"Very well," Dumbledore said after a moment of silence. "I shall have your son informed at once."

Narcissa gave him only a brief nod before Dumbledore summoned one of the elves to tell Professor Sinistra, the temporary head of Slytherin house about what was happening.

"Sinistra?" Narcissa asked. "What happened to Severus?"

"I am sorry to be the one to inform you that there was an accident earlier today," Dumbledore said. "Professor Snape fell from one of the towers."

Narcissa paled slightly when she heard that. The Malfoy family had been close with Snape when he had been named Draco's godfather. And even after the fall of the Dark Lord, they remained close while others went their separate ways, occasionally having him over for dinner during the summer.

The two were silent as they waited, and after what seemed like a long while, Professor Sinistra came up from the stairs leading down to the dungeons along with Draco.

"Mother?" the young boy said, obviously confused. "Why are you here? Is father okay?"

"He's fine," Narcissa said. "I've come to bring you home."

"Because of what happened to Professor Snape?" Draco asked. "I bet Potter had something to do with it after what happened."

"No," said Narcissa. "Your father and I have decided to leave the country. Where are your things?"

"In my dorm," said Draco.

Narcissa nodded and turned to Dumbledore.

"I do not have time to wait around," she said. "Please have one of the school house elves deliver them to our home before noon tomorrow, as that is when we are scheduled to leave."

"Of course," Dumbledore said.

The mother and son left through the open door, and Dumbledore could briefly hear Narcissa asked what Draco had meant by his comment blaming Harry for what happened to Snape.

OoOoOoOoOoO

**A/N:** Wow, I honestly didn't think I would have this chapter done so quickly. But then the idea of Dumbledore's story came to me, and I just couldn't stop writing. Oh, if only it was always that simple.

Anyways, there have been a few questions that have popped up in reviews after the last chapter, so I thought I would answer them here.

_Is Fluffy immortal now that he ate the stone?_

Interesting idea, but no. Honestly, that never occurred to me when I wrote the ending to the chapter. The idea of Quirrellmort supposedly getting away, only to be ripped to shreds by the three headed dog seemed funny to me, so I put it in the story. But to satisfy everyone's curiosity, lets say that while Fluffy digests the bits of the stone he swallowed, his pee is the Elixir of Life and his poop is gold… And yes, I know I am a sick and weird person. I like to think of it as part of my charm. :)

_Was the voice Harry heard Fawkes?_

Nope. I can't tell you who it is either. All I will say is the voice will be heard a few more times over the course of the story and the identity of the voice will be revealed when Harry and Voldemort have their final confrontation. In fact, I already have written that chapter, and I know that when I post it, a lot of you are going to be in for a surprise.

So, those are the two questions that have popped up a lot since I posted the last chapter. As last time, no idea when the next chapter will be up. It all depends on time and how cooperative my muse is. So, till next time…


	16. UPDATE

What's up bitches? I'm back and better than ever.

I know, I know, I've been gone quite a long time without a single update. But that's going to change. Though, I guess I should explain why I've been gone for so long. Well, it all started almost two years ago… Fucking hell, has it really been THAT long? Anyways, I had some down points in my life then. Bad break up. Lost my job. But I still kept writing till my last update at the end of July in 2013. But I was still kind of in a dark place. I mean, there I was, 31 years old. Alone and having to move back in with my parents after so many years of having my own place. That's when she came into my life. I don't want to name names, so let's just call her Devil McBitchface. Why call her that? You'll understand soon enough.

I met Devil McBitchface at a Starbucks. I needed my morning caffine fix and I had recently gotten a gift card for there, otherwise I wouldn't have even been there since I was basically broke. She was in front of me in line and had forgotten her wallet. Now me, my mom raised me to be a gentleman. So I offered to pay for her coffee. She tried to decline, but I insisted. Besides, good karma and all that. Finally, she agreed and thanked me and I figured that would be the end of that. It wasn't. A few minutes after I sat down, she came over and sat with me and thanked me again. We got to talking for a few minutes before she said she had to go. Before she did though, she gave me her number and asked for mine.

Now, I have to point out, shit like this does not happen to me. Devil McBitchface was a solid nine, while me… Eh, I'd say I'm a five, maybe a six on a good day. I'm not ugly, but I don't think I'm the best looking guy around. I tend to have a sort of dopey look on my face half the time, plus I'm a bit over weight. So it goes without saying that my mind was fucking blown when she wanted to swap numbers with me.

It took me almost a week before I worked up the nerve to call her, and when I did, she told me that she was planning on calling me the next day if I didn't. We talked for a bit before she asked me when I was going to get around to asking her out. I told her that I would like to, but money was a bit tight for me at the moment. She said that wasn't a problem, and that she would pay for the date and to think of it as her paying me back for the coffee.

Anyways, we went out, had some fun, and decided to go out again. And then we went out again. And again. And after about a month, we became a couple. And things were good. Then it slowly started to go down hill. I was just so happy to be with someone, that I didn't even notice what was happening till it was too late. She was changing me. First it was my clothes. Then my hobbies. I was floored when she told me that I should get rid of my comic books. I tried to fight her on it, but when she said it was either her or the comics, my fear of being alone made me do one of the hardest things I have ever done. I mean, I had been collecting those comics since I was six. I had a copy of the Death of Superman issue, still sealed in the black bag. I had first appearances of many of Marvel's and DC's main characters. I had a near mint copy of the death of Gwen Stacy that my cousin got for me for my twentieth birthday. And I let the bitch set up an eBay auction for the entire lot of my collection and barely made $300 for it all. The comics were easily worth between $7000 and $8000 (according to the Overstreet Price Guide)

Are you starting to get my name for her now?

When she found my fan fiction on my computer, she made me delete it all and swear to never write that pathetic crap again. Her words, not mine. My friends tried to tell me how wrong she was for me, but I just refused to listen. That whole fear thing, plus getting laid once or twice a month. Looking back on that, I now know she only slept with me to get me to shut up about it.

Anyways, it all came to a head about four months ago. We were at the birthday party of one of her friends. I had had a few beers and excused myself to take a piss. After I did, I was washing my hands when I looked at myself in the mirror. I couldn't for the life of me recognize the person staring back at me. I was wearing clothes that I hated. My eyes, which used to be so bright and full of life, were now dull and almost vacant. Even my haircut, which she picked out, screamed yuppie douche bag.

I lost it. Whatever was left of me inside said fuck this, went out and grabbed a bottle of scotch, and I drank about a third of it in one go. At this point, Devil McBitchface came over and asked me what the hell I was doing and that I was making her look bad. I just smiled at her, smashed the bottle on the counter and used one of the pieces of glass to slit my wrist. I had planned on doing the other wrist, but the alcohol had hit me a lot faster than I had expected since I hadn't eaten anything that day, and I passed out.

I woke up later in the hospital, my wrist bandaged up, and my little sister sitting next to me. I'll never forget what she said to me.

"Why do you always have to be an idiot and do things the hard way."

She was, of course, talking about how I had decided to break up with my now ex. Of course, she likes to claim she ended things because I was such an embarrassment to her in front of all her friends. Personally, I think when someone picks suicide over being with someone, they technically started the break up.

That was four months ago. Since then, I've been seeing a shrink to help me get over the hell she put me through. I didn't want to at first, but she left such a negative impact on me, that I was having nightmares and losing a lot of sleep. Since I had moved in with her, I obviously had to move out. And since I still didn't have a job at the time, I moved in with my parents. Though, I do have a small part time job now. It doesn't pay a lot and it's only three days a week, but since my parents are letting me live there for free, the money I make goes into my pocket. Or I should say to rebuild everything that I lost. Mostly my comic books. I also discovered something called Loot Crate. An awesome monthly service that sends you a box of great geeky and nerdy stuff.

And of course, I have started writing again. I've gotten all the messages and reviews from you folks, telling me how much you liked my work and asking what happened and if I would ever update again. I will. I've gone through and re-read what I wrote in Hand Delivered Letter and I have decided to go back and rewrite it. It's not that I don't like it. I just think I can do better. I also have a few other story ideas that I've started to outline that I want to write as well. And on top of that, I have about a year and a half of movies, TV shows, and video games that I need to catch up on, including the previous two seasons of Game of Thrones. Yeah, that's right. She wouldn't even let me watch Game of Thrones. Plus, there are a bunch of stories other people have written here that I need to catch up on… I don't think sleep is going to be a friend of mine for a while. But I feel good. And even if I do start to feel down about myself, I will always have a permanent reminder on my wrist that life could be, and has been, a lot worse.

Oh, and it's probably gonna be a few years before I even start to think about dating again. And when I do, I am going to be incredibly picky about who I date and they are going to have to meet the huge checklist I've put together. Because I am never going to fucking settle for someone that I don't have anything in common with just because I don't want to be alone.

Anyways, till next time, and keep an eye out for my next story update. It will either be an entirely new story, or the new version of HDL (if it is, it will be a completely new post).


End file.
